FrightFest

My top 5 of the fest:

1. VFW
2. Saint Maud
3= Synchronic
3= The Mortuary Collection
5. Death of a Vlogger

Anderson Falls Sadly in the late night slot due to technical difficulties, as I feel it would've played better earlier in the day due to its mystery element. The opening scene is very strong and I enjoyed parts of the twisting storyline, although I kept expecting a big twist as well as a different ...

VFW A barnstorming actioner. The best of a very good fest. There are some minor quibbles, such as some of the decisions made by the characters, while some of the action is too dimly lit or indistinct to tell who is doing what to whom, but equally there are plenty of good setpieces and many great, g...

Butt Boy A bit of a curio, mixing the ridiculously absurd with some weightier matters, resulting in a tone that veers from being quite serious for 10 minutes before a scene of off-the-wall humour that is quite a sharp contrast. It doesn't really stick to its own internal logic and there are narrati...

Saint Maud I loved this dark and twisted tale, although it has its humorous moments too to alleviate some of the bleakness. A terrific and brave performance from the lead, while Jennifer Ehle is typically good value. Good use of the night scenes that had a delirious and wild feel that were in contr...

A Night of Horror: Nightmare Radio This probably suffered a little from the delays as well as the lack of subtitles on the Spanish-speaking segment, but overall this felt overlong. I had seen the Willie Bingham segment previously, which is good, while I liked the post-mortem photography short too. ...

The Mortuary Collection I had a lot of fun with this anthology, although the catatonic wife segment seemed overly long - or at least it did for a late night movie. I enjoyed the other segments though, including the satisfying wraparound story, even if it was hokey and hammy at times. After seeing T...

A Ghost Waits A good number of people really engaged with this one - I liked it, although it was too horror-lite and romantic for my tastes, but I appreciated the comedy, the story was engaging enough and there was plenty of emotional heft and poignancy to ensure this hit the mark, on what was clea...

Sea Fever Some well-known names in this one who interestingly don't take centre stage, allowing the younger actors to shine. A creature feature fable, with shades of The Thing that includes an always fun guessing game of who is infected with the parasite. Some of the behaviours of the characters do...

In The Quarry A single location slow burner that simmers with tension. It eschews a number of pre-signalled opportunities, which helps to maintain interest and an element of surprise, although ultimately it does end up taking a well-worn path. Nevertheless, a satisfying watch that also includes a k...

The Cleansing Hour A TV show set in a studio version of The Last Exorcism, a WTF, throw the kitchen sink at it kind of movie where some of it sticks and some doesn't. I had a fair amount of fun with this, despite the flaws and (un)holy hokiness. 7 / 10 I enjoyed the short, Cubicle, beforehand too.

Death of a Vlogger The opening tale about paratroopers (presumably true?) gets this off to a good start in this film that challenges perceptions and encourages a keen observation of the events that unfold. Plenty of spine-tingling moments, although it is in danger of crying wolf once too often, but...

Time for some reviews! Synchronic An intriguing sci-fi that starts with paramedics coming across a series of bizarre deaths and incidents before becoming something more profound. A good rapport between the main leads, along with some humour to alleviate some of the darker moments all help to ensure ...

So Frightfest Glasgow is over for another year sadly, so it is time to thank Alan, Paul, Ian and Greg for another great festival! Much appreciated! Also, thank you to the guests, the cinema staff and volunteers, the audience and everyone else involved in making it such a fantastic weekend!

Thank you James, I have just read "The Tree Of Death", which I enjoyed. My only other comment would be on the ending as it could have finished but I'm not sure whether that would have worked better than the actual ending.