It’s been a funny few days for THN. Not only did we attend our first ever FrightFest, we also preceeded the event with last night’s Cigarette Burns’ double bill at the Prince Charles Cinema, as part of the Scala Forever season. Between THE BEYOND, DEAD AND BURIED, and FINAL DESTINATION 5, THN has seen enough eyeballs pierced, gouged, torn out, and lazered to last a lifetime. Yes, if the last 36 hours is anything to go by, the remaining four days of FrightFest should prove to be quite a horrific ordeal. In the best way possible, of course.
This evening saw the UK premieres of both the aforementioned FINAL DESTINATION fivequel and DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK. But in addition to the main features, those pulling the strings behind FrightFest laid on a few treats for the gorehounds, who absolutely lapped it up.
Before the opening film, the first of five short John Carpenter tributes screened. The film, which was roughly five minutes long, retold ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK with a few little twists (a lady Plissken?) and its tongue firmly nailed to its inside cheek. Directed by DOGHOUSE helmer Jake West, the ‘re-imagining’ won’t be troubling BAFTA anytime soon but was a perfect way to open Europe’s premier film festival: plenty of gore and belly laughs. The remainder of the John Carpenter remakes will screen across the next four days. Expect to read about imaginative takes on ASSAULT OF PRECINCT 13, THE THING, THEY LIVE, and of course, HALLOWEEN.
Following this came DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK (click here for full review), the latest horror-fantasy from producer Guillermo del Toro, and as expected, the film was very well received. With all the classic del Toro conventions, this well-hyped film delivered plenty of scares, some nice gory touches and plenty of heart.
As the auditorium settled for the next feature, some of the COCKNEYS VS ZOMBIES team took to the stage, including director Matthias Hoene and writer James Moran. If you haven’t heard of the movie until now, rest assured, it promises to do exactly what it says on the tin. What is obvious is that the team have a genuine passion for the project, and made no bones about their mission: cockneys, zombies, gore, violence, and Richard Briers with a machine gun. Yes, you read that correctly.
The team then stepped aside as series of clips were shown. Rent-a-cockney Alan Ford took centre stage for the scenes, and was joined by a number of other aging Londoners, most notably Honor Blackman. Though the film may overall be a one-gag effort (there’s only so many times you can hear some say fackin’ zombies before it gets tiresome), what was shown raised some huge laughs, particularly the sight of traditionally slow zombies chasing a walking frame-bound Richard Briers.
Overall, the first evening of FrightFest went off with a bang. It turns out that FINAL DESTINATION 5 is far better than it should be or anyone would have ever given it credit for beforehand (click here for full review). The 3D was used to graet effect, with a whole array of imaginative weaponry being thrust toward the appreciative crowd. And the FrightFest team certainly knows how to rile up a crowd, as proven with their choices of shorts of clips.
And on a bonus note, Andy Nyman looks dope in plaid. And he’s sure to look even better in THE GLASS MAN, which screens tomorrow evening. More on FrightFest from THN then…
