FrightFest

My top 3 of the fest:
1) The Unthinkable
2) Peripheral
3) Abrakadabra

Although I would say that there really wasn't a lot between 3rd to 6th as the standard was pretty consistent.

Abrakadabra I liked a lot about this neo-giallo, including the magic backdrop, the attention to detail of the period setting, much of the story and some of the kills. It could have perhaps benefitted from one or two more setpiece death sequences and I was really not sure about the ending, which was...

The Unthinkable Reminiscent of another great Nordic feature from a few years ago, "What We Become", and again this is very well done. Maybe a little bit too much family drama in places, but perhaps that helps to anchor the rest of the plot as well as to appreciate the characters. Suitably unnerving...

Peripheral
When Paul Hyett said in the intro that it was a "woman in a flat" movie I groaned as that sounded unappealing but I really enjoyed this one. A nice blend of near-future technology with sociopolitical comment along with the perils of being a writer. 8 / 10

Mara An intriguing sleep paralysis-based movie with J-horror influences. I liked the guessing game of whether the story would go down a scientific or a supernatural solution, even if the answer wasn't a big surprise. There were some pleasingly tense moments, but I just didn't find Mara herself to b...

Parallel
A wish-fulfilment fantasy that is not the most original, but is well-executed. A few twists and turns help to keep this one interesting. 7 / 10

Reborn Hammy and hokey in places and sometimes felt like an overwrought melodrama at times, but quite entertaining with some decent kills. The latest 1980s throwback in many ways, even if it was meant to be set in the present day, in terms of casting, style and even the type of plot, which was not ...

Nearly time to kick-off the film reviews from yesterday, but before I do I would like to thank everyone involved for making it such a great day! Well done to the organisers, the cinema staff, the guests and everybody else!

Sadly the aforementioned Knucklebones sequel is struggling on kickstarter at the moment - so if anyone wants to and knows how to get it in front of more people I'm sure they'd be very appreciative of any help that can be provided. Also came across another project that may be of interest to anyone wh...

In a tragic and eerily coincidental bit of timing there are reports in the news yesterday / today about the death of a British backpacker who died in South America after taking the same drug as in Luciferina , ayahuasca. One can only hope he benefited from some nookie like in the movie before his un...

Thanks for replying - blimey! I know it can get a little fraught at times, but that's quite surprising it got to that point. There must be a huge amount to do and it's always the little, but important things that can get missed. I think in recent years they've added a bit more of a support network a...

For those of us who didn't see the doc, dare we ask what was going on in 2012? Looking back at the line-up there were some good films on that year, so presumably it was more of a behind the scenes kind of thing...

The more I think about it, the more I think there is meaning in the film other than taking what is shown at face value. If you think of what happens as being a reflection of the current status of French society then it actually starts to become the director's most controversial movie yet. But perhap...

Jon H wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:07 pm

I suppose the question is just how many Paul Hyett films are we going to sit through at Frightfest before the conclusion is arrived at that *whisper it* - they are not very good?

Oh you heretic!

I didn't see it as I was in a disco screen, but if they really did spend over £20m on this then I do fear for them, as I would imagine this is a niche film at best in the wider market - and given it seems to be getting mixed reviews out of FF then it doesn't bode well...