FrightFest

7/10 - Good performances, but for me something was off with the pacing and plot development. Part of a string of movies today where half the audience missed the ending... as with 'hidden tracks' on CDs a few years ago, this was funny once... now it's just a pain in the ass.

This was a really terrific film with great dialogue and a real social context. I suspect the loan shark is the standout villain of the festival

Gritty British fable warning of the perils of loan sharks and how ambitions can be turned into unrelenting misery. The story was well told with 2 female leads, although Jonathan Slinger stole the show. It could have been a slow burner, but the inclusion of the suffering of other characters ensures the gorehounds will be kept amused throughout too. 7.5 / 10

I enjoyed this film and the social aspect was useful and fresh. However, all the market scenes and some of the dialogue seemed just straight out of a Coronation Street or Emmerdale episode, which needless to say really put me off.

6/10

I thought it was terrific.

I did wonder how Jeremy(?) was able to act the nice guy and didn't have a reputation in the area, but in reality I guess it's only in soaps that people actually speak to their neighbours, especially about things like being in trouble with loan sharks.

Missed Before Dawn at Frightfest a couple of years back and still haven't seen it on dvd. This will have to change after Bait though as I thought it was an incredible film. Hard to watch at times (i.e. the violence towards women) and maybe a bit too believable in places. Even so, there was plenty of coarse humour early on to offset the nastier aspects of debt collecting later on, and the acting was top notch. Along with Deathgasm the best film of the Saturday line up, on the main screen anyhow as that's where I stayed throughout... apart from a 40 minute visit to the Duke Mitchell party between Deathgasm and Some Kind of Hate (too be honest I wish I'd stayed with the Duke and friends after seeing the latter). 8/10 for Mr Brunt's latest. Just pre-ordered it on dvd.

Really enjoyed this. One of the few movies to make me feel really anxious and tense. Great performances all round.

this didnt work for me at all.

i really like the director and his first film but this one was too amaeturish...cant spell.

the film was too long and the bad guy was over the top......the bit in the shop when he screams at them and then they laugh because he is only kidding...please.

i think these women would have just gone straight to the police....oohh they did and the dodgy copper appears....not convincing at all.

its easy to say this was all soap opera and that is exactly what it was.

cant see him taking off to hollywood and he could turn into another adam mason with casting his wife in each film.

sorry dominic you are a really nice man and i enjoyed the q and a after but this wont cut it outside of frightfest.

killer guinea pigs wrote:sorry dominic you are a really nice man and i enjoyed the q and a after but this wont cut it outside of frightfest.

Respectfully I disagree with this. Of all the films this year, I'd say this one would sell to a mainstream audience better than the majority because it's more a brutal drama than horror. Agreed it won't take off to Hollywood though, he admitted an American (maybe Canadian) screening elicited a response of "It needs subtitles".

And hats off to the guy in the Horror Channel screen who asked during the Q&A, "How did you finance the film, did you have to get a loan?"

the great thing about the festival is that we all have different tastes and opinions so fair comments djbenz.

the group of five people we speak to all have different opionions about what they like.

they cant believe i didnt like a certain film and vice verser.

i think as a low budget effort it was a good attempt but no tension and not a glossy looking film but we will see what the reviews say from the papers and that gives me a better idea of how the film is recieved by the critics.....if they all say it is amazing then i have missed something.

we shall see.

A very solid 8 / 10 from me. Loved how the relatively light hearted scenes in the market quickly developed into the nastiness of the final act. Very well acted and horrifyingly believable.

DJBenz wrote: And hats off to the guy in the Horror Channel screen who asked during the Q&A, "How did you finance the film, did you have to get a loan?"

Ah, yes. That was me. As soon as the film finished and the Q+A was getting underway I just had this mischievous urge to ask the obvious. Couldn't resist. Didn't actually expect it to get the response from everyone that it did. If anyone's interested I am available for kids parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs etc.

Easily one of the best three of the fest for me - especially considering the budget they had (after chatting to Dominic afterwards who let it slip). Whilst I admit it was perhaps a bit 'soap-opera' at times, I really enjoyed the fact that it had real believable characters, talking about real life in the UK.

For me it had the perfect blend of humour and menace, and I think the scene where the loan shark reveals his true self in the empty property the two lead girls wanted as their coffee shop (ultimately dashing their hopes / dreams in an instant) to be one of the standout scenes of all the films playing this year. Great performances, great script, and a standout UK indie film. Well done to all involved.

The Aylmer wrote:

DJBenz wrote: And hats off to the guy in the Horror Channel screen who asked during the Q&A, "How did you finance the film, did you have to get a loan?"

Ah, yes. That was me. As soon as the film finished and the Q+A was getting underway I just had this mischievous urge to ask the obvious. Couldn't resist. Didn't actually expect it to get the response from everyone that it did. If anyone's interested I am available for kids parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs etc.

Well you gave me (and many others, as you witnessed) a much needed guffaw after the seriousness of the film. Thanks!

Very good film, one of the best of the festival.

Well acted, excellent leads and the villian was superb.

Shame Chandon had to be around to draw focus off the cast during the Q&A.