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Grimmfest — A–Z of films

2021

  • 0

  • The Beta Test
    Review preview for The Beta Test

    Cummings and McCabe want to have it all - and go a fairly long way towards getting it.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A man's life starts to fracture after he receives an unusual invitation.

  • D

  • E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial
    Review preview for E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial

    It showcases Spielberg's gifts for light comedy, spectacle, and fairy tale celuloid sorcery.

    Scott Macdonald · 5 out of 5
    Spielberg's beloved classic about a stranded and lonely alien.
  • Father Of Flies
    Review preview for Father Of Flies

    The confusion of incident and memory add to the sense of creepiness and disorientation which Tetlow’s performance and the heightened visual style create.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A vulnerable young boy finds his mother pushed out of the family home by a strange new woman, and he must confront the terrifying supernatural forces that seem to move in with her.
  • The Howling
    Review preview for The Howling

    Essential viewing for anyone with a serious interest in the history of the genre.

    Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.

  • I

  • 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.

  • M

  • 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.
  • Night At The Eagle Inn
    Review preview for Night At The Eagle Inn

    The central story here isn’t new but this is one of the better cinematic takes on it.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Fraternal twins spend a hellish night at the remote inn their father disappeared from the night they were born.
  • 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.
  • On The 3rd Day
    Review preview for On The 3rd Day

    Weirdly, this spectacular mess of a film delivers, for those patient enough to get to them, a few moments of brilliance.

    Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
    After a car crash which damages her memory, a woman desperate to find her son goes looking for answers.

  • R

  • The Righteous
    Review preview for The Righteous

    Scott McClellan’s gorgeous black and white photography picks out every detail of the actors’ faces yet masks them in shadow at crucial moments, allowing truths to emerge only slowly.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A burdened man feels the wrath of a vengeful God after he and his wife are visited by a mysterious stranger.
  • 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.
  • Shot In The Dark
    Review preview for Shot In The Dark

    Stunningly shot, with what is probably the most striking cinematography of the year.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Two years ago, William Langston made a mistake that would affect the course of his life. Now, with a killer loose in his home town and his circle of friends falling away one at a time, William faces his greatest fears as well as his own mortality.
  • 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.
  • Two Witches
    Review preview for Two Witches

    The first half is familiar in its outlines, following an established pattern which, in its own way, reassures. The second is anarchic, meandering, suggesting the expression of a very different set of instincts.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A matriarchal witch passes on her sinister inheritance to her grand-daughter, triggering horrific curses.

  • V

  • We're All Going to The World's Fair
    Review preview for We're All Going to The World's Fair

    This film is long overdue.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A teenage girl becomes immersed in an online role-playing game.