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FrightFest · 2021

FrightFest 2021

August

Programme

56 films · 37 reviews

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The Advent Calendar (Le Calendrier)

Review preview for The Advent Calendar

There’s a sense of dread here rarely found in modern horror.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
An ex-dancer who now needs a wheelchair is given an old wooden antique advent calendar before Christmas. She realises each window contains a surprise that triggers repercussions in real life: some of them good, but most of them bad - so she will have to choose between getting rid of the calendar or walking again - even if it causes death around her

(Country: France; Year: 2021; Director: Patrick Ridremont; Writer: Patrick Ridremont; Stars: Eugénie Derouand, Honorine Magnier, Clément Olivieri, Janis Abrikh, Cyril Garnier, Vladimir Perrin)

Full review

Antidote

A young woman is held captive in an underground medical facility where selected individuals are perpetually mutilated and then healed using a secret antidote.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Peter Daskaloff; Writer: Peter Daskaloff, Matthew Toronto; Stars: Ashlynn Yennie, Louis Mandylor, Augie Duke, Yorgos Karamihos)

Are We Monsters

A werewolf conflicted with identity, Maya seeks to understand the two sides of herself - before the consequences become deadly.

(Country: UK; Year: 2021; Director: Seb Cox; Writer: John Black, Seb Cox; Stars: Justin Hayward, Stefan Chanyaem, Charlotte Olivia, Kyle Menzies)

As In Heaven, So On Earth (Come In Cielo, Così In Terra)

Review preview for As In Heaven, So On Earth

A film unlike anything else you’ll see this year.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
1275 a.C. - A young girl is imprisoned in the dungeons of an abbey where an alchemist uses her for his strange experiments. Only a young amanuensis will try to free her at any cost. 2011 a.C. - A couple of young teenagers, Cris and Jessy, go missing in the woods while a young woman comes out from the middle of nowhere.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2020; Director: Francesco Erba; Writer: Francesco Erba; Stars: Eva Basteiro-Bertoli, Ania Rizzi Bogdan, Federico Cesari, Daniele Di Matteo, Philippe Guastella, Margherita Mannino)

Full review

Bad Candy

Halloween DJ's Chilly Billy and Paul spin a bloody and twisted version of this small town's craziest Halloween Happenings.

(Country: US; Year: 2020; Director: Scott B Hansen; Writer: Desiree Connell, Scott B Hansen, Thacker Hoffman; Stars: Zach Galligan, Derek Russo, Kevin Wayne, Corey Taylor, Haley Leary)

Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes (Droste No Hate De Bokura)

Review preview for Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes

High concept films like this can easily go awry, but Makoto Ueda’s script somehow manages to stay on the ball throughout.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A café owner discovers that the TV in his café suddenly shows images from the future, but only two minutes into the future.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2021; Director: Junta Yamaguchi; Writer: Makoto Ueda; Stars: Aki Asakura, Riko Fujitani, Gôta Ishida, Yoshifumi Sakai, Kazunari Tosa)

Full review

Bloodthirsty

Review preview for Bloodthirsty

There's an all too familiar kind of horror here which makes the first half of the film an uneasy watch.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A young musician who suffers from hallucinations is persuaded to record an album in a remote location by a producer with an agenda of his own.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2020; Director: Amelia Moses; Writer: Wendy Hill-Tout, Lowell; Stars: Lauren Beatty, Greg Bryk, Katharine King So)

Full review See: Interview with Amelia Moses about Bloodthirsty

Brain Freeze

Review preview for Brain Freeze

The film is pretty hit and miss.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A fertiliser used in a rich gated community becomes the source of a genetic mutation that transforms its residents into zombies. Can a teenager and his baby sister break free from the quarantined island before turning into grass?

(Country: Canada; Year: 2021; Director: Julien Knafo; Writer: Julien Knafo; Stars: Iani Bédard, Roy Dupuis, Marianne Fortier, Anne-Élisabeth Bossé, Claudia Ferri)

Full review

The Brilliant Terror

Review preview for The Brilliant Terror

This is an impressively thorough piece of work which manages to fit in a great deal whilst remaining fun to watch.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A documentary about the grassroots horror phenomenon, the filmmakers, the fascination and the brilliant terror.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Paul Hunt, Julie Kauffman; Stars: Heidi Honeycutt, Jeremiah Kipp, Alan Rowe Kelly, Paula Haifley)

Full review See: Interview with Julie Kauffman about The Brilliant Terror

Bring Out The Fear

An exploration of a doomed relationship on its final day.

(Country: Ireland; Director: Richard Waters; Writer: Richard Waters; Stars: Ciara Bailey, James Devlin, Tad Morari)

Captive

A teenage runaway who's trapped by a delusional man, pretends to be his daughter in order to escape.

(Country: US; Year: 2020; Director: Savvas Christou; Writer: Savvas Christou; Stars: William Kircher, Tori Kostic, Jolene Andersen, Jarius Carey)

The Changed

Review preview for The Changed

Foley does the hard work of internalising a struggle too often treated as vast and external.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A group of ordinary people band together in a suburban home to battle imposters who have replaced their families, friends, and neighbours.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Michael Mongillo; Writer: Matt Giannini, Michael Mongillo; Stars: Tony Todd, Clare Foley, Erik Bloomquist, Nina Wisner, Kathy Searle)

Full review See: Interview with Clare Foley about The Changed

Coming Home In The Dark

Review preview for Coming Home In The Dark

Coming Home In The Dark takes us to familiar places and renders them strange.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A family’s outing descends into terror when teacher Alan Hoaganraad, his wife Jill and stepsons Maika and Jordon explore an isolated coastline. An unexpected meeting with a pair of drifters, the enigmatic psychopath Mandrake and his accomplice Tubs, thrusts the family into a nightmare when they find themselves captured.

(Country: New Zealand; Year: 2021; Director: James Ashcroft; Writer: James Ashcroft, Eli Kent, Owen Marshall; Stars: Daniel Gillies, Erik Thomson, Miriama McDowell, Matthias Luafutu, Frankie Paratene, Billy Paratene)

Full review See: Interview with James Ashcroft about Coming Home In The Dark

Crabs!

Review preview for Crabs!

Crabs! is not very good in the wrong ways.

Jennie Kermode · 1.5 out of 5
A horde of murderous crab monsters descend on a sleepy coastal town on Prom night, and only a ragtag group of outcasts can save the day.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Pierce Berolzheimer; Writer: Pierce Berolzheimer; Stars: Jessica MorrisDylan Riley SnyderRobert Craighead, Allie Jennings, Bryce Durfee)

Full review

Dawn Breaks Behind The Eyes

Review preview for Dawn Breaks Behind The Eyes

It will delight the eyes whether or not you succeed in engaging with its underlying ideas.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A couple spend eternity in a castle until their reality starts to shift, as the unknown moves into their lives.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2021; Director: Kevin Kopacka; Writer: Kevin Kopacka, Lili Villányi; Stars: Anna Platen, Jeff Wilbusch, Frederik von Lüttichau, Luisa Taraz)

Full review See: Interview with Kevin Kopacka about Dawn Breaks Behind The Eyes

Demonic

Review preview for Demonic

This movie sucks cocks in hell.

Max Crawford · 1 out of 5
A young woman unleashes terrifying demons when supernatural forces at the root of a decades-old rift between mother and daughter are ruthlessly revealed.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2021; Director: Neill Blomkamp; Writer: Neill Blomkamp; Stars: Carly Pope, Terry Chen, Chris William Martin, Nathalie Boltt, Michael J Rogers, Andrea Agur)

Full review

The Exorcism Of Carmen Farias (El Exorcismo De Carmen Farías)

A journalist discovers soon after her mother's death that she has inherited her grandmother's house. She decides to move there without knowing it hides dark secrets.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2021; Director: Rodrigo Fiallega; Writer: Molo Alcocer Délano; Stars: Camila Sodi, Juan Pablo Castañeda, Juan Carlos Colombo, Anna Silia Garza, Lucy Paez)

Followers

A struggling social media influencer discovers the house he shares is haunted. The ghost brings him and his friends fame and fortune, but with deadly consequences.

(Country: UK; Year: 2021; Director: Marcus Harben; Writer: Marcus Harben; Stars: Harry Jarvis, Loreece Harrison, Nina Wadia, Erin Austen, Daniel Cahill)

Forgiveness

Three women mysteriously wake up in a hospital and discover that one of them is deaf, one is mute and the other one is blind; together they will have to figure out why they are there and how to get out.

(Country: Mexico, US; Year: 2021; Director: Alex Kahuam; Writer: Alex Kahuam; Stars: Alejandra Toussaint, Laura de Ita, Alejandra Zaid, Diana Quijano)

The Found Footage Phenomenon

Review preview for The Found Footage Phenomenon

This documentary sets out to explore the development of the phenomenon at the same time as tracking changing notions of what seems real and of how realness itself is understood and valued.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
The Found Footage Phenomenon is an independent documentary charting the origins of the found footage sub-genre, tracking it through to the technique's current form and asks what the future is.

(Country: UK; Year: 2021; Director: Sarah Appleton, Phillip Escott; Writer: Sarah Appleton, Phillip Escott; Stars: André Øvredal, Eduardo Sánchez, Patrick Brice, Ruggero Deodato)

Full review See: Interview with Phillip Escott about The Found Footage Phenomenon

Gaia

Review preview for Gaia

Perhaps better understood as poetry than as science fiction.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
An injured forest ranger on a routine mission is saved by two off-the-grid survivalists. What is initially a welcome rescue grows more suspicious as the son and his renegade father reveal a cultish devotion to the forest.

(Country: South Africa; Year: 2021; Director: Jaco Bouwer; Writer: Tertius Kapp; Stars: Monique Rockman, Carel Nel, Alex van Dyk, Anthony Oseyemi)

Full review

Greywood's Plot

Review preview for Greywood's Plot

Whilst this is as scrappy as you'd expect given its financial limitations, it's quite well directed in places and stylistic choices made early on pay off nicely.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
After finding a tape of what appears to be a monster, two friends journey into the woods to uncover if the video was a hoax.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Josh Stifter; Writer: Daniel Degnan, Josh Stifter; Stars: Daniel Degnan, Kim Fagan, Samantha Kirchoff)

Full review See: Interview with Josh Stifter about Greywood’s Plot

Hotel Poseidon

The self-appointed manager of a decaying hotel watches as it is transformed into an existential purgatory.

(Country: Belgium; Year: 2021; Director: Stefan Lernous; Writer: Stefan Lernous; Stars: Tom Vermeir, Ruth Becquart, Anneke Sluiters, Tania Van Der Sanden, Dominique Van Malder)

Isolation

An anthology of nine chilling tales shot in lockdown.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Alix Austin, Adam R. Brown, Larry Fessenden, Dennie Gordon, Andrew Kasch, Kyle I Kelley, Alexandra Neary, Christian Pasquariello, Zach Passero, Bobby Roe, Keir Siewert; Writer: Alix Austin, Adam R. Brown, Larry Fessenden, Dennie Gordon, Andrew Kasch, Kyle I Kelley, Alexandra Neary, Christian Pasquariello, Zach Passero, Bobby Roe, Keir Siewert; Stars: Larry Fessenden, Marieh Delfino, Dennie Gordon, Alex Weed, Sarah Nicklin, Damien Gerard, Adam Gierasch, Bobby Roe, Alisha Seaton, Matthew John Lawrence, Jack Fessenden, Victoria Negri, Jack Bennett, Hans Gurbig)

Killer Concept

Review preview for Killer Concept

This is, at its core, a film about shattered illusions, but for most of its running time it’s surprisingly light.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Three creatives team up to write a screenplay chronicling a string of murders in their town, but one of the three may be closer to the story than the others realise.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Casey Dillard; Writer: Glenn Payne; Stars: Cody Bishop, Coley Bryant, Casey Dillard, Caleb Hall, Georgia Jeffreys)

Full review

The Kindred

Review preview for The Kindred

The psychological drama, which Pearson handles with impressive assurance, is the strongest part of the film.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A woman suffering from amnesia pieces together the events that led to her father's suicide, only to be haunted by the ghosts of children that she begins to suspect were murdered by him.

(Country: UK; Year: 2021; Director: Jamie Patterson; Writer: Christian J Hearn; Stars: Samantha Bond, James Cosmo, Patrick Bergin, Blake Harrison, James Dreyfus, April Pearson, Kirsty Dillion, Steve Oram)

Full review

King Knight

Review preview for King Knight

If this hits the spot for you, you’ll probably be in stitches throughout, caught in a repetitive cycle of laughter – but if it doesn’t, you’ll be a bit lost.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
The high priest of a modern-day coven finds his life thrown into turmoil and ventures out on a journey of self-discovery.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Richard Bates Jr; Writer: Richard Bates Jr; Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Matthew Gray Gubler, Angela Sarafyan, AnnaLynne McCord)

Full review

Knocking

Review preview for Knocking

Molocco’s performance is excellent and will make viewers feel for Molly even if they have no experience with this type of situation.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
When Molly moves into her new apartment after a tragic accident, a strange noise from upstairs begins to unnerve her. As its intensity grows, she confronts her neighbours – but no one seems to hear what she is hearing.

(Country: Sweden; Year: 2021; Director: Frida Kempff; Writer: Emma Broström; Stars: Ville Virtanen, Meliz Karlge, Albin Grenholm, Kristofer Kamiyasu, Emil Almén, Bengt Braskered, Alexander Salzberger, Bill Hugg, Cecilia Milocco, Naida Ragimova, Charlotta Åkerblom, Tobias Almborg, Christina Indrenius-Zalewski, Karin Holmberg, Anders Johannisson)

Full review

Laguna Ave

A disaffected former musician with a prosthetic hand is drawn into the mysterious and sinister world of his downstairs neighbour.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: David Buchanan; Writer: Paul Papadeas; Stars: Dan Crane, Russell Steinberg, James Markham Hall Jr, Stephanie Brait)

The Last Rite

Review preview for The Last Rite

The psychological dimension adds depth to the story.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A medical student suffering from sleep paralysis finds herself plagued by a demonic entity, after moving in with her boyfriend.

(Country: UK; Year: 2021; Director: Leroy Kincaide; Writer: Leroy Kincaide; Stars: Tara Hoyos-Martinez, Bethan Waller, David Kerr)

Full review See: Interview with Leroy Kincaide about The Last Rite

The Last Thing Mary Saw

Review preview for The Last Thing Mary Saw

Edoardo Vitaletti packs his frames with detail, even when the decoration is relatively sparse.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Winter, 1843. A young woman is under investigation following the mysterious death of her family's matriarch. Her recollection of the events sheds new light on the ageless forces behind the tragedy.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Edoardo Vitaletti; Writer: Edoardo Vitaletti; Stars: Rory Culkin, Isabelle Fuhrman, Stefanie Scott, Carolyn McCormick)

Full review

The Maid

Review preview for The Maid

It feels less like a horror film than like a telenovela.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
A teenager, who is working as a domestic maid and being haunted by the previous maid's spirit, strives to discover the secret behind her death.

(Country: Thailand; Year: 2020; Director: Lee Thongkham; Writer: Lee Thongkham, Piyaluk Tuntisrisakul; Stars: Ploy Sornarin, Savika Chaiyadej, Theerapat Sajakul, Kaqnnaporn Puangtong)

Full review

Motherly

Review preview for Motherly

We spend a good deal of time getting to know them before the action starts, and these are the strongest scenes of the film.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
Kate and her daughter Beth live alone in an isolated farmhouse in the woods, but when Kate slowly begins to suspect that something sinister is happening, her motherly instincts are put to the test.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2020; Director: Craig David Thomas; Writer: Ian Malone, Craig David Wallace; Stars: Lora Burke, Tessa Kozma, Kristen MacCulloch, Nick Smyth, Colin Paradine)

Full review See: Interview with Craig David Wallace and Lora Burke about Motherly

Mystery Spot

A number of people find refuge in a small motel built upon the ruins of an old Mystery Spot - a long-dead roadside attraction with strange metaphysical powers.

(Country: US; Year: 2020; Director: Mel House; Writer: Mel House; Stars: Cyrus Rodas, Regan Christine House, Seán Patrick Judge, Lyle Kanouse)

Night Drive

Review preview for Night Drive

At a breezy 80ish minutes it manages an ending that asks questions of us without indulging too much in the temptation to dig up answers.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
A ride share driver's life is turned upside down after an unexpected series of misfortunes.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Brad Baruh, Meghan Leon; Writer: Meghan Leon; Stars: AJ Bowen, Sophie Dalah, Lamar Bell, Reba Buhr)

Full review

Nocturna: Side A - The Great Old Man's Night

Ulysses is a hundred-year-old man, battling for redemption on his last night on Earth. Faced with imminent death, he is forced to rethink his past, his present and his take on reality.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2021; Director: Gonzalo Calzada; Writer: Gonzalo Calzada; Stars: Marina Artigas, Lautaro Delgado, Mora Della Veccia)

No Man Of God

Review preview for No Man Of God

One of the finest films of the year.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
To better understand the infamous serial killer’s crimes, FBI investigator Bill Hagmaier sits down with Ted Bundy for multiple jailhouse interviews over five years. Their conversations lead to unexpected results.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Amber Sealey; Writer: C Robert Cargill; Stars: Elijah Wood, Luke Kirby, Aleksa Palladino, Robert Patrick)

Full review See: Interview with Amber Sealey about No Man Of God

Offseason

Review preview for Offseason

Keating is a master of building up atmosphere and is much more interested in that than in conventional plot mechanics.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
After receiving a mysterious letter, a woman travels to a desolate island town and soon becomes trapped in a nightmare.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Mickey Keating; Writer: Mickey Keating; Stars: Joe Swanberg, Jocelin Donahue, Melora Walters, Richard Brake, Jeremy Gardner)

Full review

Post Mortem

A post mortem photographer and a little girl confront ghosts in a haunted village after the First World War.

(Country: Hungary; Year: 2020; Director: Péter Bergendy; Writer: Piros Zánkay, Gábor Hellebrandt, Péter Bergendy; Stars: Viktor Klem, Fruzsina Hais, Judit Schell, Zsolt Anger)

Pretty Boy

A masked killer named Pretty Boy takes a blind woman from her home in the Hollywood hills and crashes a Valentine's Day party where the bloodshed continues.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Marcel Walz; Writer: Joe Knetter; Stars: Sarah French, Jed Rowen, Devanny Pinn, Heather Grace Hancock, Jake Red)

Prisoners Of The Ghostland

Review preview for Prisoners Of The Ghostland

Despite the whole thing being incredibly messy, it's eye-gogglingly enjoyable at the same time.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A notorious criminal is sent to rescue an abducted woman who has disappeared into a dark supernatural universe. They must break the evil curse that binds them and escape the mysterious revenants that rule the Ghostland, an East-meets-West vortex of beauty and violence.

(Country: US; Year: 2020; Director: Sion Sono; Writer: Aaron Hendry, Reza Sixo Safai; Stars: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Nick Cassavetes, Bill Moseley, Tak Sakaguchi, Yuzuka Nakaya) , Trailer

Full review

Red Snow

Review preview for Red Snow

As sweet-natured as it is bloody, Red Snow is anchored by an ebullient performance from Cisneros, who is in almost every scene yet never seems to flag.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A struggling vampire romance novelist must defend herself against real-life vampires during Christmas in Lake Tahoe.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Sean Nichols Lynch; Writer: Sean Nichols Lynch; Stars: Dennice Cisneros, Nico Bellamy, Laura Kennon, Vernon Wells)

Full review See: Interview with Sean Nichols Lynch about Red Snow

The Retaliators

Review preview for The Retaliators

Easy come, easy go entertainment for those who want to enjoy a bit of violence and still feel good about themselves.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
An upstanding pastor uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers surrounding his daughter's brutal murder.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Samuel Gonzalez Jr, Bridget Smith; Writer: Darren Geare, Jeff Allen Geare; Stars: Michael Lombardi, Marc Menchaca, Joseph Gatt, Katie Kelly, Abbie Hafer)

Full review

The Sadness

Review preview for The Sadness

The sheer quantity of imitable violence in the film is likely to frighten censors around the world.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
After a year of combating a pandemic with relatively benign symptoms, a frustrated nation finally lets its guard down. This is when the virus spontaneously mutates, giving rise to a mind-altering plague. The streets erupt into violence and depravity.

(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2021; Director: Rob Jabbaz; Writer: Rob Jabbaz; Stars: Regina, Tzu-Chiang Wang, Berant Zhu)

Full review

Shadow Of The Cat (La Sombra Del Gato)

Review preview for Shadow Of The Cat

It’s all very handsomely shot, with a feisty soundtrack and ebullient sense of humour, but too often it feels as if it’s just being quirky for the sake of it.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
Gato's safe, isolated world is throw into chaos when his teenage daughter gets a mobile phone and makes herself visible to the world.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2021; Director: José María Cicala; Stars: Danny Trejo, Peter O'Brien, Mónica Antonópulos, Clara Kovacic, Jay Montalvalo)

Full review

She Watches From The Woods

A troubled artist with a dark past attempts to make peace with her dying mother while investigating the mysterious death of her teenage sister.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Beau Ballinger; Writer: Beau Ballinger, Karen Skloss; Stars: Meredith Garretson, Paulina Lule, Phuong Kubacki, Wylie Small)

The Show

Review preview for The Show

In the end, The Show bites off more than it can chew, but it makes a good effort and there’s plenty there to please the fans.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A man's search for a stolen artefact leads him to the haunted town filled with Voodoo gangsters, masked adventurers, Depression-era private eyes and violent chiaroscuro women.

(Country: UK; Year: 2020; Director: Mitch Jenkins; Writer: Alan Moore; Stars: Tom Burke, Ellie Bamber, Darrell D'Silva, Christopher Fairbank, Antonia Campbell-Hughes)

Full review

Slapface

Review preview for Slapface

Both Maturo and Manning are superb in this film, and it’s the chemistry between them that really makes it.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
A boy deals with the loss of his mother by creating a dangerous relationship with a monster rumoured to live in the woods.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Jeremiah Kipp; Writer: Jeremiah Kipp; Stars: August Maturo, Mike Manning, Libe Barer, Mirabelle Lee, Bianca D'Ambrosio)

Full review See: Interview with Jeremiah Kipp about Slapface

Sound Of Violence

Review preview for Sound Of Violence

A stylistically innovative, intelligent piece of work.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A young girl recovers her hearing and gains synesthetic abilities during the brutal murder of her family. Finding solace in the sounds of bodily harm, as an adult, she pursues a career in music composing her masterpiece through gruesome murders.

(Country: Finland, US; Year: 2021; Director: Alex Noyer; Writer: Alex Noyer; Stars: Jasmin Savoy Brown, Lili Simmons, James Jagger, Tessa Munro)

Full review See: Interview with Alex Noyer about Sound Of Violence

Sweetie, You Won't Believe It

Review preview for Sweetie, You Won't Believe It

If you're a fan of Three Stooges-style silent slapstick but wish it came with a lot more gore, then, Sweetie, you won't believe what a treat you are in for

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
It all starts off quite trivially, with a young married couple’s quarrel. The husband decides to get away with two friends on a fishing trip but mysterious events await them.

(Country: Kazakhstan; Year: 2020; Director: Yernar Nurgaliyev; Writer: Zhandos Aibassov, Yernar Nurgaliyev, Daniyar Soltanbayev, Il'yas Toleu, Anuar Turizhigitov, Alisher Utev)

Full review

Touch

Fei Fei, a married Caucasian western woman meets Bai Yu, a Chinese blind masseur. When they come together in an intense love affair they find the demons they've created implode in a clash of violent impulses.

(Country: US; Year: 2020; Director: Aleksandra Szczepanowska; Writer: Aleksandra Szczepanowska; Stars: Aleksandra Szczepanowska, Jun Yang, Jiangwei Yuan, Beckhan, Aixian Teng)

Ultrasound

Review preview for Ultrasound

Ultrasound is a slippery little puzzle of a film. It's cleverly put together and really quite neatly tied together, though not every viewer will successfully unravel it or, for that matter, make it to the end.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
After his car breaks down, Glen spends one hell of an odd night with a married couple, setting into motion a chain of events that alter their lives plus those of several random strangers.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Rob Schroeder; Writer: Conor Stechschulte; Stars: Vincent Kartheiser, Chelsea Lopez, Breeda Wool, Tunde Adebimpe, Rainey Qualley, Bob Stephenson)

Full review See: Interview with Rob Schroeder, Conor Stechschulte and Zak Engel about Ultrasound

The Unburied Corpse (El Cadáver Insepulto)

The father of a family and role model for many orphan kids of a small town, suddenly dies. One of his sons who lives in another town has to come back home and deal with troubles from his past and his present.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2020; Director: Alejandro Cohen Arazi; Writer: Alejandro Cohen Arazi; Stars: Demián Salomón, Héctor Alba, Mirta Busnelli, Fernando Miasnik)

When The Screaming Starts

When Norman Graysmith is invited into the home of an aspiring serial killer, Aidan Mendle, he believes he has the subject for the documentary that will make his career.

(Country: UK; Year: 2021; Director: Conor Boru; Writer: Conor Boru, Ed Hartland; Stars: Yasen Atour, Katharine Bennett-Fox, Lee Nicholas Harris, Ronja Haugholt, Siu-see Hung)

Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror

Review preview for Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror

Rather than trying to establish a thesis of her own, Janisse allows her interviewees to deliver contradictory viewpoints on key issues, and the film is richer for it.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
A documentary about the history of folk horror cinema from the 1960s to today.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Kier-La Janisse; Writer: Kier-La Janisse)

Full review See: Interview with Kier-La Janisse about Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror