FrightFest: London freaks out

Each year at FrightFest, it's fun to see how many different kinds of films can be made under the genre banner, from wildly supernatural nuttiness to darkly emotional thrillers. Here's another cross-section of highlights for Sunday, including three world premieres...

UK PREMIERE
7 Keys
dir-scr Joy Wilkinson; with Emma McDonald, Billy Postlethwaite 24/UK ****
Skilfully shot and edited, this British dramatic thriller is vividly centred around a young couple who behave transgressively as they travel around London. Writer-director Joy Wilkinson beautifully captures the inner lives of two strangers as they get to know each other in other people's homes. And along the way, several superbly orchestrated set-pieces inventively mix romance and suspense. Although it's increasingly difficult to hope for a happy ever after... FULL REVIEW >

WORLD PREMIERE
Derelict
dir Jonathan Zaurin; with Suzanne Fulton, Mike Coombes 24/UK ***.
Flickering between black and white and colour, this moody British thriller builds a strong sense of violent tension, even if the splintered filmmaking style prevents us from getting involved in the story or characters. But while it feels over-serious and overlong, director-cinematographer Jonathan Zaurin gives the film a striking visual style, skilfully shot and sharply augmented by a beefy piano-based score and powerfully internalised performances from a solid cast.

WORLD PREMIERE
Fright
dir-scr Warren Dudley; with Gwyneth Evans, Jill Priest 24/UK ***.
Designed like a 1930s melodrama, this British thriller features striking black-and-white cinematography, a florid orchestral score and accents that could cut glass. In other words, it looks and sounds fabulous. It also builds a strongly involving tension through the internalised feelings of the feisty young central character. Writer-director Warren Dudley is essentially making a pastiche here, but this is also an engaging mood piece that's thoughtful, emotionally engaging and even cathartic.

WORLD PREMIERE
Ladybug
dir Tim Cruz; with Anthony Del Negro, Scout Taylor-Compton 24/US ***
Packed with creepy and insinuating touches, this thriller builds a sense of impending nastiness right from the opening scene. Filmmaker Tim Cruz creates a haunting atmosphere that takes its time revealing the story's complex web of secrets. So while the script moves in fits and starts, peppered with moments that perhaps don't quite ring true, there's more than enough going on here to hold the attention. So the ghostly goings on become involving and, yes, haunting.

For info, FRIGHTFEST >