A new addition this year was Richard Ramchurn's The Moment which I thoroughly enjoyed. The short film is brain-controlled so a monitor reads your attention levels and adjusts the content accordingly. I was fascinated by this and me & my friend Martyn tried it back-to-back and the results were completely different, not only were there longer scenes in Martyn's version which explained some gaps in mine but even the cuts and music were altered!
I'm going to briefly review each film with my usual ratings and I will include a few photos which were taken by www.coalescapture.co.uk .
Thursday 11th:
Anna & the Apocalypse (2017)
IMDb genre: Comedy/Fantasy/Horror
Written by: Alan McDonald & Ryan McHenry
Directed by: John McPhail
Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming & Sarah Swire
Scottish zombie musical at Christmas. Yes really and it's awesome! The cast are hugely talented & there's some fairly big actors to round out the younger less-known cast (I see you Mark Benton & Paul Kaye).
Although the movie is very funny it doesn't shy away from the drama either and towards the end the horror kicks in a lot more & because the characterisation is also handled brilliantly it packs an emotional punch too.
The fact it's a musical may put some people off but many others at the screening aren't usually fans of musicals and they enjoyed it. The songs don't feel forced; there's quite a while between songs in the middle, and so while the songs definitely add to it and they're brilliantly choreographed it seems to me it's a comedy/horror first and a musical second.
Something that annoys me with zombie movies & TV shows is when they try and push the idea that 'other humans are the real evil not the zombies' but I think this one strikes a good balance with the zombies but also the astoundingly sinister Savage (who also has one of the best songs of the film).
I really don't have any complaints about this film, it was a wonderfully colourful, lively opener to the festival & it was followed by an honest and funny Q & A with director John McPhail:
General Opinion:
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I have no complaints so it would be mean to knock any stars off!
Scare Factor:
🕷️🕷️🕷️
It's a comedy/horror so many scares are broken quickly with laughs but it does have its moments (look out for the scene in the Christmas tree market).
Gore:
Although the movie is very funny it doesn't shy away from the drama either and towards the end the horror kicks in a lot more & because the characterisation is also handled brilliantly it packs an emotional punch too.
The fact it's a musical may put some people off but many others at the screening aren't usually fans of musicals and they enjoyed it. The songs don't feel forced; there's quite a while between songs in the middle, and so while the songs definitely add to it and they're brilliantly choreographed it seems to me it's a comedy/horror first and a musical second.
Something that annoys me with zombie movies & TV shows is when they try and push the idea that 'other humans are the real evil not the zombies' but I think this one strikes a good balance with the zombies but also the astoundingly sinister Savage (who also has one of the best songs of the film).
I really don't have any complaints about this film, it was a wonderfully colourful, lively opener to the festival & it was followed by an honest and funny Q & A with director John McPhail:
General Opinion:
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I have no complaints so it would be mean to knock any stars off!
Scare Factor:
🕷️🕷️🕷️
It's a comedy/horror so many scares are broken quickly with laughs but it does have its moments (look out for the scene in the Christmas tree market).
Gore:
💉💉💉💉💉💉💉
It's a zombie movie so there was always going to be a good amount of decent gore. I think my favourite zombie death was the first one though.
Clowns:
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
A great script with some funny interactions between the characters.
Anna & the Apocalypse is in UK cinemas 30th November
It's a zombie movie so there was always going to be a good amount of decent gore. I think my favourite zombie death was the first one though.
Clowns:
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
A great script with some funny interactions between the characters.
Anna & the Apocalypse is in UK cinemas 30th November
Nightmare Cinema (2018)
IMDb genre: Horror
Written by: Sandra Becerril, Alejandro Brugues, Lawrence C. Connolly, Mick Garris, Richard Christian Matheson & David Slade
Directed by: Alejandro Brugues, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Ryuhei Kitamura & David Slade
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Richard Chamberlain & Adam Godley
As I've mentioned several times before I love an anthology movie! This one wasn't perfect but it tried hard with its quite weird connecting story with Mickey Rourke's The Projectionist in a very sinister cinema, even if it needed more details.
As with any anthology there are ups and downs and there's also a vast difference in tone between segments which can be a little jarring. I think ultimately the order is a little off and it was maybe a little ambitious with 5 segments.
The first segment, and my personal favourite (& a lot of other peoples') was Alejandro Brugues 'The Thing in the Woods'. I don't want to spoil it but while it seems like a funny play on typical slasher tropes it develops into so much more, it's incredibly bloody, you won't see it coming & it's entertaining as hell. I think the problem with opening with the strongest segment is that although the others aren't bad they couldn't quite live up to it.
The next segment was Joe Dante's 'Mirari'. It was great to see new work from him & his segment was rather twisted, blackly funny and with a good dose of body horror. It's nothing wildly new but it's entertaining and well-executed. Richard Chamberlain's Dr. Mirari was brilliantly sinister.
Things took a bit of a downward turn next with Ryuhei Kitamura's 'Mashit'. It's brave to attempt a possession film as a short and there are some great visuals (& plenty of blood!) but ultimately it's all a bit style over substance and there's not enough care taken with the plot so it's the most forgettable.
Up next was David Slade's 'This Way to Egress'. This one was dark (& not just because it was in black & white!). There's some seriously scary ideas that are only touched on, this could easily be a feature film. Elizabeth Reaser really pulls it out the bag in the lead role as a woman seeking medical help as things around her inexplicably turn ugly. The way this is presented visually is really creepy, even buildings seem to be going mouldy, but sound is also used to great effect. I would love to see this one explored further.
Closing out the film was Mick Garris' 'Dead'. This one was an emotional ghost story with great acting and a twist at the end that's horrible even if it is a little predictable. As much as I enjoyed this segment it was completely different to the others and it was an odd choice to end on as it's fairly quiet and calm so it doesn't really close the film out on a high.
So overall, not perfect but two great segments do lift it up and it's still a unique collection.
General Opinion:
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The first segment, and my personal favourite (& a lot of other peoples') was Alejandro Brugues 'The Thing in the Woods'. I don't want to spoil it but while it seems like a funny play on typical slasher tropes it develops into so much more, it's incredibly bloody, you won't see it coming & it's entertaining as hell. I think the problem with opening with the strongest segment is that although the others aren't bad they couldn't quite live up to it.
The next segment was Joe Dante's 'Mirari'. It was great to see new work from him & his segment was rather twisted, blackly funny and with a good dose of body horror. It's nothing wildly new but it's entertaining and well-executed. Richard Chamberlain's Dr. Mirari was brilliantly sinister.
Things took a bit of a downward turn next with Ryuhei Kitamura's 'Mashit'. It's brave to attempt a possession film as a short and there are some great visuals (& plenty of blood!) but ultimately it's all a bit style over substance and there's not enough care taken with the plot so it's the most forgettable.
Up next was David Slade's 'This Way to Egress'. This one was dark (& not just because it was in black & white!). There's some seriously scary ideas that are only touched on, this could easily be a feature film. Elizabeth Reaser really pulls it out the bag in the lead role as a woman seeking medical help as things around her inexplicably turn ugly. The way this is presented visually is really creepy, even buildings seem to be going mouldy, but sound is also used to great effect. I would love to see this one explored further.
Closing out the film was Mick Garris' 'Dead'. This one was an emotional ghost story with great acting and a twist at the end that's horrible even if it is a little predictable. As much as I enjoyed this segment it was completely different to the others and it was an odd choice to end on as it's fairly quiet and calm so it doesn't really close the film out on a high.
So overall, not perfect but two great segments do lift it up and it's still a unique collection.
General Opinion:
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I'm only ranking on general opinion for this one as the segments would rank very differently for scare factor, gore & clowns and it seems odd to do an average.
There's not currently any UK release information for Nightmare Cinema
There's not currently any UK release information for Nightmare Cinema
