FrightFest

Thoroughly enjoyed my weekend, and will buy my 2011 pass in a heartbeat... but for me this was the worst FF ever in terms of movie enjoyment. Only Nine films I thought were above average, and that includes the Hooper double!

However, this is personal taste of course, as some movies I didn't care for were certainly well made... but I came to conclusion I'm not the biggest fan of Revenge/Home Invasion movies, and there were a lot of these.

It's always disappointing when you get films you don't like play back-to-back, but oh boy, did I have some really long stretches this weekend!

I have to say I agree, although I had a blast as per usual and fully appreciate the hard work that goes into creating this magic by all the team I do feel that the average was slight down in terms of quality.

There were some quality films although only a few (F, Buried, Bedevilled, Dream Home, The loved Ones, Amer) and for me quite a lot that were borderline to be included in a Horror film festival (Monsters, Red White and blue, Red Hill), don't get me wrong we need diversity as 5 days of slasher films would be just as bad but some films felt like they would of played better at LFF or Sci-Fi-London. What we need is more diversity in the genre of horror as a lot of films were border line Thrillers.

Which then brings me to the Bad films and boy I felt like there was a lot, Hatchet II, Primal, Dead Cert (Dead Wank), Isle of dogs, Christopher Roth, The Tortured, Damned by Dawn. (other films I didn't see I heard didn't come up to scratch also)

I guess for me its just the fact I felt there was a vast difference in the quality and that some films were just not good enough and that its a shame a film like Amer is shown in the Disco Screen and Isle of Dogs or Dead Cert (dead wank) is shown in the main screen.

Perhaps like a fine wine it has just been a bad year and you can't blame anyone for that there was some magic but just not enough.

As ever guys great work and lets start counting down to the next one.

Overall I thought it was no better or worse than last year. There were certainly no "instant classics", but there weren't many absolute stinkers either (except The Tortured). Personally I was glad to see the return of the quiz and the Short Film Showcase (though sadly without David McGillivray).

I'd always prefer to see a lot more foreign-language films from around the world, but I know that doesn't suit everyone. I'd much rather get a chance to watch a low-budget Thai movie than something that'll be at my local Cineworld in a few weeks anyway.

I think it's interesting how FF often seems to have an underlying theme, presumably by accident(?). This year there was a lot of realism and REVENGE in particular - Red Hill, Cherry Tree Lane, The Tortured, I Spit..., Bedevilled, Red White & Blue, Isle of Dogs, F (maybe), even Hatchet II all had revenge as some aspect of the plot. I'd agree that one or two seemed a little out of place at Frightfest.

I agree with the Short film showcase, well worth seeing, not only for a real messed up few hours of different themes and styles but also to see perhaps the up and coming film makers for future FFs and just bloody enjoyable.

French Moose I salute your head ripping of ways!

Thought the line up was exceptional this year

Monsters, Red Hill, I Spit On Your Grave, F, The Last exorcism, Bedevilled, Buried, Burning Bright and Hatchet II amongst the best Genre films of the year.

Although the idea of the live quiz was fun and a laugh I'd of rather had that time been filled with a film.

For me it was very good. I don't expect to see a lot of 'Citizen Kane'-quality films at a horror fest but pretty much everything I saw was fun at least, with several that were outstanding (AMER, MONSTERS, THE LAST EXORCISM, THE LOVED ONES, BURIED).

I liked that this year the selection included so many films that would have otherwise flown under the radar - I personally don't mind the odd "big" commercial type in a lineup (though I know that isn't representative of everyone!) and did like that one of the films that will be otherwise a largest release of the weekend was a replacement film!

For me, I think there were too many grim films. I'd have liked more of the ilk of Damned By Dawn because it came as a relief. Not everything has to be a harsh and unflinching study of brutality and death. Another meaty and unpretentious splattery slasher movie of the Hatchet ilk or two.

streetrw wrote:For me, I think there were too many grim films. I'd have liked more of the ilk of Damned By Dawn because it came as a relief. Not everything has to be a harsh and unflinching study of brutality and death. Another meaty and unpretentious splattery slasher movie of the Hatchet ilk or two.

I agree with you there, it was bloody grim!

Could have done without "Dead Cert" being on the line up, and a longer break on Monday would have been appreciated - really had to rush some food down after bedevilled.

Not as many instant classics as last year, but The Loved Ones was worth the price of admission alone.

I feel the same after last year... the film selection was just not good enough. I don't think it's unreasonable to say that there just aren't enough really good horror films available to preview/premiere over 5 days in two screens in 1 weekend. I think the festival needs to retract a little and go back to opening on Friday night, and getting rid of the discovery screen. If the Disco films are good enough to show to a paying audience, put them up on the big screen! PLEASE can there be tighter quality control next year!! (I realise 'the boys' are probably under pressure from distributors to show crap - but anything they can do would be appreciated) R,W&B was my highlight this year... Rumley saves the day... again!!

The Soapmaker wrote: This year there was a lot of realism and REVENGE in particular - Red Hill, Cherry Tree Lane, The Tortured, I Spit..., Bedevilled, Red White & Blue, Isle of Dogs, F (maybe), even Hatchet II all had revenge as some aspect of the plot. I'd agree that one or two seemed a little out of place at Frightfest.

I agree, although they were all great movies, I wanted to see more 'monster/creature' movies! Most of the horror were themed based on realistic revenge hack'n'slash.

I thought this was one of the strongest FrightFest's I've attended (started coming in 2008). However the very best films on offer were on the fringes of the horror genre (and in the case of Red Hill solidly out of the genre). But the selection represents what is available at any time, and also there unfortunately a few distributors who don't want to have their films screened at festivals (EIV).

But the range of films on show at FrightFest is what pulls me in where other genre festivals don't. That and the incredible sense of community at FrightFest events.

I went to frightfest last year and thought it was brilliant, this year however the films just didn't grab me as much as the previous year, there seemed to be few 'fun' horror films and most seemed quite serious.

Last year I knew alot of the films that would be shown and so knew a fair bit about them before walking in, this year I decided not to read anything on them, walk in and be surprised, this didn't pan out as I had hoped lol The group of arseholes on the row behind me didn't help either.

I have good and bad to say on this one. First I had a brilliant weekend and had highs and lows and felt like I had been through an emotional wringer by the time i was going home on Tuesday, and think there was a mixture of the brilliant, the average and the lame as far as the movies go - perhaps a third each. But that makes two thirds not paricularly brilliant.

I feel there were indeed many toss films on. Maybe I partly have myself to blame for hyping myself too much but there are always duff films on every year.

It may even not be the festivals fault, you have to think they have a limited choice and have to go for the stuff that are previews /premieres, and all out in a very short time frame. It might have just been a bad year for it. For me however - too much straight to DVD stuff that is out in the next 2 months this year, and the bad movies were not just bad (for example ZWoS or Bubbas chilli parlour) - they were just under par - dull - nothing engaging or exciting about them. I'm talking Dead Cert and 13 hours here. Then you have the stuff that isn't particularly horror, I dont mind having some stuff like that on if it's fabulous for instance Red Hill, but Eggshalls was absolute toss, Cherry Tree Lane - average, Red White and Blue - depressing, Isle of dogs - annoying, we are what we are - boring and I had no idea what to make of Monsters and eventually decided it was just dull (I can understand it was an achievment for the budget but not for me).

I am just glad that I gave every single film a try and only walked out of one through boredom. I know some people that probably watched less than half the films that were on all weekend.

However I was SO pleased at the replacement for Serbian Film - and lets face it most people are going to watch Serbian now no matter what just because such a fuss was made by the council - silly idiots they are playing right into the hands of the old 'video nasty' hype that just makes a film be watched by probably 1000% more people than wold have watched it in the first place!

I love Ryan Reynolds and that film made me extremely happy.

LOVED I spit on your grave, what a fabulous remake that blows the original out the water and was great fun. Loved Alien Vs Ninja made me laugh my socks off, Really liked Primal, Hatchet 2 was fun - more of the same but I kind of feel faithful to it cause Green is so great to the festival so you have to like it really dont you! Dream Home was great, The loved ones was SUPERB, Red hill was superb, and I enjoyed the last exorcism a lot too.

A very mixed bag, but I will of course be back.