FrightFest: We need heroes

The 26th FrightFest wrapped up tonight in Leicester Square with the UK premiere of the thriller sequel Influencers. I'd hoped to catch it but was unable to tonight. So I only have three final highlights. It's been fun this year, and the comments below represent perhaps my favourite films of the festival. I do particularly love a movie that can get under my skin and scare me in some way. It doesn't happen often enough...

The Toxic Avenger
dir-scr Macon Blair; with Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay 25/US ***.
hile this remake of the iconic B-movie is relentlessly cheesy and often chaotically ridiculous, it also has a surprising warmth that sneaks up on us. Even more surprisingly, the film tackles some big ideas in the most outrageous way possible, overstating the issues with unsubtle pastiche and on-the-nose people and place names. But it's actually refreshing that writer-director Macon Blair so carefully avoids anything resembling cinematic polish.

Odyssey
dir Gerard Johnson; with Polly Maberly, Jasmine Blackborow 25/UK ****
Opening with a tooth extraction in extreme closeup, we are immediately aware that this is not a warm, fuzzy kind of movie. Skilfully shot and edited, the film creates a vividly realistic atmosphere that squeezes in around the central character, turning increasingly colourful and harrowing. Director-cowriter Gerard Johnson stylishly assembles this narrative, continually catching the audience off guard with its provocative twists and kicks. The storytelling feels electrifying.

213 Bones
dir Jeff Primm; with Colin Egglesfield, Dean Cameron 25/US ****
Set in the Pacific Northwest, this movie opens like a vintage masked-slasher thriller, then dives into its grunge-infused story with gusto, skilfully shooting and editing in a witty 1990s style. Late director-cowriter Jeff Primm keeps the tone buoyant, with sparky characters who have just enough personality to make us care for them. And the way the story develops is unusually robust, pulling us in while generating genuine suspense.

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows' FRIGHTFEST PAGE >

FrightFest: It's showtime

London's 26th FrightFest continues through the weekend with movies that are designed to entertain us by scaring, unsettling and grossing us out. As always, these films are somewhat hit and miss. Many are made on very small budgets, proving that pretty much anyone with a camera and some up-for-it friends can make a movie. Although it also quickly becomes clear whether the idea, narrative and characters are strong enough to hold the interest. Of course, I need to watch everything all the way to the end, and I always give the movie the benefit of the doubt. So it's great when a movie surprises me. Here are five more highlights...

Your Host
dir DW Medoff; with Jackie Earle Haley, Ella-Rae Smith 25/It ***.
pening with gleeful grisliness, this horror thriller quickly sets up characters before launching them into a freak-out situation. Taking inspiration from the Saw movies, director DW Medoff and writer Joey Miller clearly enjoy devising the most sadistic nastiness they can think of while keeping everything both jaunty and sharply pointed. But the grubby production design is a bit tired and, even with comical asides, it's almost overwhelmingly hideous.

Pig Hill
dir Kevin Lewis; with Rainey Qualley, Shane West 25/US **.
Punctuated with sudden violence and freak-out images of people wearing pig heads, this horror thriller is fairly relentless in its dark approach. Scenes play out with super-high intensity, as director Kevin Lewis ramps everything up exponentially, including camerawork, performances, music and gore. And as the narrative travels through oddly spurious sequences on its way to the horrible truth, it never seems to be daytime in this small town.

Where Is Juan Moctezuma?
dir-scr Alaric S Rocha; with Alaric S Rocha, Erin Hughes 25/US ***
Diving into the mystery surrounding an iconic 1970s Mexican horror auteur, this lively movie embraces the cheesy sensibility of filmmaker Juan F Moctezuma II. Appearing on-screen to narrate the story, filmmaker Alaric S Rocha has fun with colourful period movies and comments from his extra-sparky interviewees. So there's plenty of ramshackle energy, mixing a wide range of hilariously outrageous material. But it could have been even funnier than this.

Sane Inside Sanity
dir-scr Andreas Zerr; with Jim Sharman, Richard Hartley 25/Ger ***.
Celebrating 50 years of a camp classic, this documentary explores "the phenomenon of Rocky Horror", the offbeat play-turned-movie musical that went viral long before that was a thing. German filmmaker Andreas Zerr carefully traces the development of the show and film, then dives deeply into the fan experience that has evolved exponentially over the decades. It's a brisk, knowing trip into a quirky corner of film history.

Malpertuis
dir Harry Kumel; with Orson Welles, Susan Hampshire 73/Bel ***.
An eerie mix of horror, comedy and lustiness infuses this wonderfully offbeat 1971 Belgian thriller, which has been digitally restored to maximise the impact of Harry Kumel's visceral direction and Gerry Fisher's vibrant cinematography. This is a rich-hued, lavishly designed and very bawdy film with a cheeky sense of humour and insinuating moods stretching from burgeoning sexuality to existential angst. And astonishing freak-out moments punctuate the meandering plot.

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows' FRIGHTFEST PAGE >

FrightFest: Be afraid

One of the top horror film festivals in the world, London's FrightFest runs each year over the August bank holiday weekend. This 26th festival kicked off on Thursday with the UK premiere of James DeMonaco's The Home, and the scary fun continues through Monday night at the grand Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square. Here are four highlights from the first two days... 

The Home
dir James DeMonaco; with Pete Davidson, John Glover 25/US **
In a rare serious role for comic Pete Davidson, he plays an aimless slacker caught up in a mind-spinningly nasty situation. Director-cowriter James DeMonaco (The Purge) tightly maintains his perspective, which pulls the audience into the nutty story before things cut loose into Get Out-style horror. Indeed, the imagery, sound mix and narrative include so many elements from genre classics that nothing feels original. Or particularly scary.

Night of Violence
dir Illya Konstantin; with Kit Lang, Russ Russo 25/US **
Mixing dark violence with a broad Big Pharma satire, this offbeat low-budget horror has some fun with its depiction of office workers before things turn nasty. Director Illya Konstantin creates a home-made vibe that plays up the awkwardness between colleagues before sending them into a blood-soaked nightmare. Tonal shifts are uneven, pacing is somewhat underpowered, and the plot closely follows the bare bones of the brutal invasion genre.

Don’t Let the Cat Out
dir Tim Cruz; with Anthony Del Negro, Cerina Vincent 25/US **.
Atmospheric and extremely tactile, this freak-out thriller traces a night that spirals into bizarre nastiness. Director Tim Cruz, who wrote the script with actor-producer Anthony Del Negro, cranks up the tension from the start, keeping the audience as disoriented as the lead character because everything feels so random and inexplicable. So while none of this makes much sense, there are enjoyably yucky moments scattered through the narrative.

The Degenerate:
The Life and Films of Andy Milligan
dir Josh Johnson, Grayson Tyler Johnson; with Gerald Jacuzzo, Jimmy McDonough 25/US ***.
Tracing the career of a notorious filmmaker who mixed experimental sensibilities with excessive schlock, this documentary tells the story of Andy Milligan, whose ethos was to just get out there and make a movie. As a scrappy artist, his work was inventive and influential, with distinctive themes and camera tricks, yet modern audiences have seen very little of it. So it's time for cinema scholars to rediscover him.

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows' FRIGHTFEST PAGE >

Critical Week: Tea, biscuits and a spot of murder

Cinemas are a bit busier, as a bunch of high-profile movies arrive in the weeks before the autumn festival season kicks off awards season. This time of year also signals the return of London's FrightFest, which plays out over this long weekend. I've been watching those scary movies all week, and have many more to see between now and Monday night. As the festival kicked off tonight in Leicester Square, I was across the way attending the UK premiere of the all-star British whodunit The Thursday Murder Club, starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie (above). Unsurprisingly, it's warm and funny, perfectly cosy entertainment.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Sorry, Baby • Battleship Potemkin
Eddington • Dongji Rescue
ALL REVIEWS >

We finally got to see The Toxic Avenger, shot three years ago and now being released uncut. Peter Dinklage has a lot of fun as Toxie in this hilariously messy remake, which is packed with pointed satire and gleefully excessive gore. Danny Power gives a terrific debut performance in the intimate Irish drama Christy, the involving story of a teen discovering who he is. From China, Dongji Rescue is a thrilling true WWII action story told on a grand scale. Its set pieces are seriously heart-pounding, and the characters are great. And from Germany, the animated romp Grand Prix of Europe sends animals on a racing tour, punctuating every scene with nutty slapstick silliness.

This coming week I'll be watching several more FrightFest movies (quick reviews will be here over the weekend), plus Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch in The Roses, Austin Butler in Caught Stealing, the Japanese drama Happyend and the restored 1980 thriller Night of the Juggler.

Critical Week: Summer holiday vibes

It's been a very sticky week in Britain, so I've enjoyed the chance to cool off in some air-conditioned cinemas. Screenings are still a bit thin on the ground, seeing as it's holiday season, but there are plenty of things to be watching. Bob Odenkirk is back in action for Nobody 2, in which the violence is perhaps a bit too gleeful. But it's also hilariously entertaining, expecially when a villainous Sharon Stone is chomping on the colourful scenery. Joaquin Phoenix leads the sprawling cast of Ari Aster's epic Eddington, a very dark satire about us-vs-them attitudes set in the pandemic-era Wild West. It's riveting, complex and very important. Costars include Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Together • Materialists
ALL REVIEWS >

Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter lead the cast of the nuanced romantic drama On Swift Horses, a beautifully made film that explores hidden desires in 1950s America. Orlando Bloom is a tough-guy boxer in The Cut, which rather unevenly shifts from gritty drama to psychological horror. Matilda Lutz leads the charge as Red Sonja in a new take on the comic heroine. Even with flashes of wit, it's too serious for its own good. And the adult-aimed animated comedy Fixed has a lot of fun with its raunchy premise about a dog getting the snip, but there's not much else going on.

This coming week I'll be watching Helen Mirren and an all-star cast in the whodunit The Thursday Murder Club, Peter Dinklage in a new take on The Toxic Avenger, the Irish care-system drama Christy, the fact-based epic Chinese WWII action film Dongji Rescue, and the animated racing-mice action romp Grand Prix of Europe.

Critical Week: Driving me crazy

Screenings continue to be a bit less frequent this time of year, although I somehow found plenty of movies to watch this week. Eddie Murphy is back in action-comedy mode, starring in The Pickup alongside Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer. Their banter is enjoyable even if the plot is almost ridiculously simplistic. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are back for Freakier Friday, a hugely enjoyable 20-years-later body-swap comedy sequel. And there were two astonishingly grisly horror movies: Together stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple that's growing eerily close, while Weapons stars Julia Garner as a teacher whose students have mysteriously vanished. Both are stomach-churningly yucky in all the best ways, and both have serious subtext that holds the interest.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Young Hearts • Weapons
Stans • Freakier Friday
ALL REVIEWS >

In addition, there was the family adventure Sketch, about a teen whose drawings come to life and menace a small town. It's well-made and engaging. There were two films from France: The Musicians is an engaging and warmly understated comedy about a group of egotistic artists who form a historic quartet. And Bambi: A Tale of Life in the Woods is a nature documentary adaptation of the classic novel about a young deer growing up. It's beautifully shot, and openly emotive. I also watched Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical (arrives on Apple TV on 15th August), which I thoroughly enjoyed. As a lifelong Peanuts fan, the line-art animation was particularly nice. And the catchy songs were fun too. I also attended a live performance of new absurdist comedy Lost Watches at Park Theatre.

This coming week I'll be watching Jacob Elordi in On Swift Horses, Bob Odenkirk in Nobody 2, Orlando Bloom in The Cut, Matilda Lutz as Red Sonja, the animated comedy Fixed and the Chinese remake of Richard Linklater's Tape.

Stage: Learning to let go

Lost Watches
by Lorenzo Allchurch
director Alex Helfrecht
with Lorenzo Allchurch, Gabriella Moran, Leah Aspden, Jason Isaacs
composer Dominic Brennan • lighting Nell Golledge
production design Rob Davis • costumes Trynity Silk
Park Theatre, London • 30.Jul-23.Aug.25 ★★★

As absurdist dark comedy, this offbeat new play is packed with haunting insight and clever interaction. It's very cleverly staged with a striking set design, lighting effects and a superb cast that brings a natural spark to their complex roles. It's also deliberately evasive, playing with enormous ideas in often rather silly ways that leave us on the outside of the story. So we never really feel the huge emotions that are gurgling up everywhere. But there's plenty to think about.

It centres on Allen (playwright Lorenzo Allchurch), a hapless young guy living in his family's sprawling home after the death of his mother. He hangs out in her sculpting shed, where his closest companion is a huge bust of William Burroughs (voiced by Jason Isaacs), which pokes and prods Allen with sneery wordplay. He's visited by his competitive brother Jack, their absent father and the ghost of their mother (all played by Gabriella Moran). And a local cop (Leah Aspden) comes to investigate strange noises and other things going on here.

Allen can't afford to keep this house, and the bank is about to foreclose. But he is frozen in inaction, unable to decide what to do or how to move on. And he has never dealt with issues that have haunted him since his childhood. Burroughs' sardonic suggestions aren't helping, and neither are the other people around him, real or imaginary. So it's clear that fate needs to step in, and indeed it does.

On a very effective minimalist black stage that features inventive props, lights and projections, Allchurch gives a full-on performance, spiralling through this situation as a young man who isn't really searching for answers, but he needs them. It's a fascinating performance, even if the play itself becomes a bit frustrating as it spins in nutty circles with its impenetrable dialog and some surprising swerves in the plot. Thankfully, the psychological intensity of it all holds the interest.

The key idea here is that we all need to find a way to let go of things that prevent us from moving forward with our lives, including objects, places and even the memories that keep us stuck in place. And of course mental health issues are also part of the conversation. All of this comes through with a provocative kick in the dense dialog and plotting, which flips into an unexpected final scene that offers a glimmer of hope. 

For details, PARK THEATRE > 

photos by Mark Senior • 1.Aug.25