ENGLISH PREMIERE
Strange Darling
dir-scr JT Mollner; with Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner 23/US ***.
After an opening caption states that this is the true story of a serial killer's rampage, this thriller unfolds in a wonderfully lurid style over six chapters that arrive out of sequence. With saturated hues and heightened performances, the film is grippingly over-the-top right from the start, impressively crafted by writer-director JT Mollner. So even it never feels very substantial, the film's twisty, playful touches keep us on our toes, messing with our expectations... FULL REVIEW >
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
dir Andre Ovredal; with Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi 23/Ger ***.
A rarely filmed section of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula is the basis for this thriller, which is set on an ill-fated journey at sea plagued by something that's both murderous and unnatural. Norwegian director Andre Ovredal keeps the film grounded through quirky character touches while emphasising the dark and stormy menace. So the film becomes a claustrophobic slasher horror as it goes along, pitting a diminishing number of crew members against a monster... FULL REVIEW >
Video Vision
dir-scr Michael Turney; with Andrea Figliomeni, Chrystal Peterson 24/US ****
Snappy dialog and a witty use of forgotten video formats add a sharply entertaining spark to this offbeat horror movie about a demon-possessed videotape player. And while the direction is fairly simplistic, there are terrific camera effects along the way that give the film a woozily disorienting tone, pulling us in because the characters are strongly well-developed. Filmmaker Michael Turney also gives the audience some genuinely nasty grisliness for good measure. Plus a storming theme song.
Traumatika
dir Pierre Tsigaridis; with Rebekah Kennedy, Emily Goss ***.
Opening with a caption about childhood trauma, this horror movie submerges the topic in a demonic context that's full of jolts and grisly surprises. Instead of building suspense, director Pierre Tsigaridis deploys grubby production design, nutty editing and a super-heightened sound mix to keep us off-balance. So the main tension is the wait for the next moment of hyper-grisliness. Rather than a coherent, involving narrative, this is an enjoyably bonkers collection of nightmarish scenes... FULL REVIEW >
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