17th October 2007.

I’m back from the 40th Sitges Fantasy Festival. I had an absolutely wonderful time. The line-up was incredibly strong, the weather balmy and the company was terrific. Take a bow for keeping me entertained all those people on the current festival circuit George Romero, INSIDE men Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, ORPHANAGE duo Juan Antonio Bayona and Sergio Sanchez, wizard of WAZ Tom Shankland and REC co-directors Jaume Balgauero and Paco Plaza. Plus the usual suspects who always turn up for the best fest outside FrightFest experience like Arrow in the Head’s John Fallon who left the Canadian set of Paul W. Anderson’s DEATH RACE remake for a little sea and sangria.

The big award winners were the fabulous REC and ever-superb INSIDE even though Tarsem Singh’s THE FALL carried off the Best Picture prize. The Jury must have been on drugs! Remember THE CELL? THE FALL is just as bad, almost like a John Waters version of EL TOPO. Not in a good way either. Very camp and borderline kitsch, although Tarsem probably thinks it’s an art movie, most thought it was a beautiful bore with the odd stunning set piece punctuating the posing.

That and Woody Allen’s Cockney hit-man comedy CASSANDRA’S DREAM were the worst movies on offer. The best non-genre film was Brian De Palma’s powerfully moving REDACTED about US soldiers raping and murdering an Iraq schoolgirl in the name of democracy. The final montage of war victim photos is just emotionally devastating. Of the main fantasy strand I really enjoyed ROGUE – why is this croc shocker going straight to DVD? – the French STRANGE DAYS-infused CHRYSALIS and the Spanish THEM, KING OF THE HILL. Although it didn’t quite live up to the hype, Nacho Vigalondo’s CRONOCRIMENES, with its scissor-slashing, pink bandage masked time-traveller had some of the mot unusual imagery on offer. The most popular film though was 25 years old. Ridley Scott’s BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT looked and sounded stunning in its new configuration and just kept packing the main auditorium out every time additional showings were organised to cope with demand. This film noir sci-fi alone raised the box-office figures to a record high for the ever-popular off-Barcelona event.

One of the main Sitges surprises turned up in the Midnight X-Treme strand alongside such past FrightFest inclusions as WRONG TURN 2, THE TRIPPER, STORM WARNING, THE DEVIL DARED ME TO and BLACK WATER. It also signalled a great reunion for me too. Toronto’s Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes had given me the heads up about John Knautz’ JACK BROOKS MONSTER SLAYER and it really delivered. Co-producer Trevor Matthews stars as the title plumber who awakens an ancient evil while fixing the pipes for science teacher Robert Englund, named Professor Crowley! Fired by this demonic power Crowley discovers a monstrous black heart that forces its way inside of him to cause gruesome transformation into a multi-tentacle beast from hell. It’s then Jack Brooks realises his destiny and discovers the true purpose of the inner rage he’s had since his family’s brutal murder.

As much an homage to wild and crazy 80s horror as SLTHER was, but way more successful due to its EVIL DEAD trajectory, JACK BROOKS MONSTER SLAYER is great fun with nice characters, oozing gore and a neat mix of weird creatures. It’s like a Ray Harryhausen/Jim Danforth stop-motion adventure for adults, the title reminiscent of JACK THE GIANT KILLER and the opening Cyclops battle of THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD. Englund gives a terrific comic turn as the possessed professor and I was delighted to spend time with him again as we had done on many occasions before during his Freddy Krueger fame peak. Back in the ELM STREET days Englund and I hung out when he was either in town promoting movies or attending the legendary Dylan Dog festival in Milan. He hasn’t changed. He’s still one of the nicest guys in the business, informed, erudite, with his finger on the pulse. JACK BROOKS MONSTER SLAYER might already be on release by FrightFest 2008. But if his latest directorial project – the Russian folklore legend of THE VIJ starring Christopher Lee and Italian heartthrob Raoul Bova – is ready, he knows he has an open invitation to be with us.

I’m now off to the HELLBOY 2 location in Budapest. From there I go directly to Rome for the MOTHER OF TEARS Italian premiere. Lots to report on then I’m sure.

Until next time…