20th July 2008.

I was amused by Reanimator’s ‘Alternative FrightFest 2008’ listing post on the forum so I thought it was worth going through each suggestion to give you all an insight into how the whole selection process actually pans out in real terms. As I have already stated in my last blog no possible stone is left unturned before we come to finalizing the line-up. Paul and I are forever sifting through and juggling titles on a probability basis before UK release dates are set, distributor demands are met and other festivals’ requirements are taken into consideration.

Many promising looking films on our extensive lists are jettisoned the moment we clap eyes on them. For example THE DARK LURKING (amateur hour sci-fi gore), OPEN GRAVES (hilariously promoted as ‘In the vein of FINAL DESTINATION’), VAMPIRE PARTY (an unfunny French farce), LAST OF THE LIVING (a cheerless Australian SHAUN OF THE DEAD wannabe), the boring REEKER II, the phony 100 FEET and the low grade monster filler GATES OF HELL (erroneously credited to director George Miller, the reason why we bothered). So in order of Reanimator’s wish-list timetable:

MUTANT CHRONICLES. Director Simon Hunter’s ambitious adaptation of the role playing game was the first film I rushed to see at Cannes this year. I’d covered it in production two years ago for ‘Fangoria’ and was struck by the unique green screen technique Hunter was employing to bring epic space horror thrills within a modest budget. Those intricacies are the reason it has taken so long to be completed. I really liked it, loved the cast – Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, Devon Aoki - and have described it elsewhere as Guy Maddin’s version of ALIEN. Hunter is a FrightFest alumnus too if you recall THE LIGHTHOUSE premiering at our very first 2000 event. The problem with this niche sci-fi fantasy is it is being released in the UK by Entertainment Films who have no interest in placing their movies in any other festival other than London. We have never been able to acquire any Entertainment picture throughout our entire history and despite Hunter’s efforts on our behalf that situation looks like it will never change.

ROGUE. Greg Mclean’s creature feature follow-up to WOLF CREEK really does deserve to be seen on the big screen but it is already available on DVD in too many territories. Because FrightFest is about the new, the globally unseen, it didn’t fit the brief after debuting at Sitges last year. But the suspense magic worked by Mclean on the familiar plot of a boatload of tourists in an Australian nature reserve coming under attack by a reptilian steam train with teeth is just extraordinary. Beautifully shot and convincingly acted, the croc shock scenes inside the cave lair couldn’t be tenser with top-notch sleight-of-hand direction and seamless special effects. Well worth seeing, just not a FrightFest contender.

MY NAME IS BRUCE: Anchor Bay release the spoof homage to EVIL DEAD icon Bruce Campbell later in the year. So keep your eyes on our Halloween ICA all-nighter. The deliverables just weren’t ready in time for August and Campbell could not have been a guest because of filming commitments. STUCK: Stuart Gordon’s true crime horror is terrific, but its DVD release in the UK is imminent. PIG HUNT: Both Paul and I saw this and it’s good splatter fun. But it’s essentially another group of people wandering through the woods getting killed off by…what? We have enough of those this year and decided to hold it in reserve. DYING BREED: Jody Dwyer’s Tasmanian cannibal shocker was taken out of the frame once it became clear it didn’t deliver the promising goods.

QUARANTINE: The American remake of [REC] gets it’s world premiere at Sitges in October this year before rolling into US Halloween release. Part of the deal Filmax made with Screen Gems before selling the remake rights was that premiere requirement. So we never had a chance of getting John Erik Dowdle’s virtual frame-by-frame retread. BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE: KISS OF THE DRAGON director Chris Nahon’s anime remake remains an unknown quantity at this point and it’s risky saying yes to sight unseen productions. SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO: Every now and again Miike Takashi makes a great film. This faux Spaghetti Western shot on cardboard sets with a Tarantino cameo is not one of them. It was never a consideration. AMERICAN ZOMBIE: I hated. Enough said. VINYAN: Fabrice de Welz’ jungle horror follow-up to CALVAIRE isn’t ready. A shame as it is a Film4 movie and would have been a no-brainer to show. REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA: Mentioned last blog. Sounds great, but it isn’t an opera, it’s a boring rock musical, it isn’t that horrific or bloody, unless diva Sarah Brightman gouging her eyes out satisfies, and frankly THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW can rest easy over the competition. OUTLANDER: As already mentioned, the moment The Weinstein Company shifted its US release date to May next year, we lost it. 2001 MANIACS: BEVERLY HELLBILLYS: Still in production and does anyone really want to se it after Tim Sullivan’s first outing?

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY: As many of you will know, Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated sequel was our original opening night movie at one point. Until Universal shifted its’ release to August 20 (in a similar WANTED Orange Wednesday ploy) making our preview redundant. Plus del Toro will be in New Zealand prepping THE HOBBIT and would not have been able to join us as he did for our screenings of HELLBOY and PAN’S LABYRINTH. That’s the way the cookie crumbles in major studio land. RED: We all loved this latest Jack Ketchum screen adaptation about Brian Cox taking quiet revenge on the gang responsible for killing his beloved pet dog. But whereas THE GIRL NEXT DOOR and THE LOST had clear genre affiliations, RED is more a straight thriller without that all-important FrightFest vibe. SEXYKILLER: Miguel Marti’s gory shocker is the one film every festival wanted based on its amazing advance word. But Sitges snapped the world premiere up because that festival is key to the Spanish distributor’s European release plans.

BEFORE THE FALL: F. Javier Gutierrez’ Spanish slasher set at the end of the world is one of my favourite films of the year. A strangely hypnotic and shifting genre crossbreed of terrific apocalyptic special effects with nasty murders, it is unfortunately a Filmax production and they charge an exorbitant flat fee for any festival showing of their movies. DOROTHY: Another favourite, and as previously explained, not on the Optimum releasing agenda until mid-2009 so a FrightFest screening was considered way too early. LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS: Phil Claydon’s Hammer spoof has only just finished shooting for release next April.

THE GIRL BY THE LAKE: Another class act, this art-house giallo was shown in Glasgow earlier this year, not part of the FrightFest line-up though. No UK distributor has it, and Intra Films, the sales agent, do not want it perceived in genre terms. HUSH: Another Film4 production, and a nerve-jangling suspense thriller. But director Mark Tonderai wants it to be shown at the LFF not by us. CABIN FEVER 2: SPRING FEVER: Of course we tried for this because of our association with director Ti West. But Lionsgate have not yet set any release plans for it anywhere in the world and we had to stop pursuing it because there was no point in doing so. CREEK: Joel Schumacher’s absolutely wonderful Nazi monster action movie contains one of the greatest sequences of the year revolving around a zombie horse. We would have loved to present this but it’s another Entertainment film (see above).

TRICK ‘R TREAT: Michael Dougherty’s seemingly shelved anthology horror has received nothing but glowing reviews since debuting at a couple of American film festivals over the past years. We approached Warner Bros offering them our closing night slot but didn’t get anywhere. It’s down on their release schedule now as Halloween 2009 so, you never know, it might be available for us next August!

I hope this summary has gone someway into explaining what we have to deal with on a daily angst-ridden FrightFest basis. The fact we have assembled such a strong 2008 line-up against such odds is not so much a testament to our tenacity as it is to all those great UK distributors who trust in what FrightFest can do to help position their releases in the market place. It’s our on-going and strong relationship with them that crystallises what we can offer.

Until next time…