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FrightFest · 2023

FrightFest 2023

Discovery 3

Programme

8 films · 4 reviews

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1982: The Greatest Geek Year Ever!

Aa fabulous time machine back to one of the greatest years in movie history for the biggest blockbusters, cult unforgettables and when genre fandom was in its infancy.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Roger Lay Jr.; Stars: Mick Garris, Barry Bostwick, Adrienne Barbeau, David L Snyder)

The Darkside Of Society

Review preview for The Darkside Of Society

Occam’s razor is badly needed here.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
The story of the Keith family in Beverly Hills and the reality which inspired cult film Society.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Larry Wade Carrell; Stars: Julian Sands, Brian Yuzna, Screaming Mad George, Richard Stanley)

Full review

Eight Eyes

Review preview for Eight Eyes

Austin Jennings builds up his story from little details whilst viewers are gripped by the tension between the three leads.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
At the breaking point of their dysfunctional marriage, a couple take a trip through Serbia. After meeting a mysterious local who eagerly offers to be their guide, they embark on an impromptu sightseeing expedition that soon takes a series of sinister turns.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Austin Jennings; Writer: Austin Jennings; Stars: Emily Sweet, Brad Thomas, Bruno Veljanovski)

Full review

The Ghost Station

A public service worker at Oksu Station witnesses a shocking incident and recruits his friend to help uncover the truth behind the station's mysterious happenings first reported on by a journalist trying to make sense of a murder case.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2022; Director: Jeong Yong-ki; Stars: Kim Bo-ra, Kim Jae Hyun, Shin So-yul)

Hostile Dimensions

Review preview for Hostile Dimensions

Though it might seem to be all over the place – structurally as well as thematically – there’s a tight control underlying Hostile Dimensions which pretty much holds it together and delivers a satisfying story.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Two documentary filmmakers traverse alternate dimensions, confronting nightmares to uncover the truth behind a graffiti artist’s disappearance who seems to have vanished into thin air. These dimensions mix the ordinary with the bizarre - a hilly idyll is thrown off kilter by whales floating across the skies.

(Country: UK; Year: 2023; Director: Graham Hughes; Stars: Graham Hughes, Stephen Beavis, Annabel Logan, Andy Stewart)

Full review

The Knocking

Mikko, Maria and Matilda are siblings who haven’t been close or seen each other for years, but they must now decide what to do with their childhood home where their parents were allegedly murdered. The plan is to get the house and surrounding forest estate ready to be sold, but old traumas quickly resurface and there may be something evil lurking in the woods desperately trying to prevent the sale.

(Country: Finland; Year: 2022; Director: Joonas Pajunen, Max Seeck; Stars: Inka Kallén, Saana Koivisto, Olga Temonen, Mikko Leppilampi)

Minore

Review preview for Minore

Warm-hearted, atmospheric and joyously, ridiculously gory when occasion calls for it.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
When mysterious creatures invade a Greek seaside port, a misfit band of musicians, tourists, bodybuilders and grandmothers unite to save the city.

(Country: Greece; Year: 2023; Director: Konstantinos Koutsoliotas; Writer: Konstantinos Koutsoliotas, Elizabeth E Schuch; Stars: Davide Tucci, Daphne Alexander, Apollon Bollas, Eleftheria Komi)

Full review See: Interview with Konstantinos Koutsoliotas and Elizabeth E Schuch about Minore

The Weird Kidz

Dug, Mel, and Fatt are 12-year-old boys navigating life in their desert suburb. Dug’s older brother Wyatt takes the trio on a camping trip to a canyon with his new, awesome girlfriend Mary. She doesn’t go unnoticed by Mel and Fatt, who have just descended into puberty.  Late bloomer Dug just dreams of smores and ghost stories. On a pit stop, the gas station attendant shares tales of the Night Child, an ancient creature that feeds on tourists.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Zach Passero; Stars: Sean Bridgers, Ellar Coltrane, Angela Bettis, Brian Ceely)