FrightFest day five: Torture porn just got rustic…

Five days, 20 features, and 10 shorts. Yes, FrightFest has been an intense experience, and by this point THN’s senses have been scared, shocked, stabbed, and tortured. And the final day of the horror festival was no exception.

THN’s day began with DEADHEADS, the debut feature from the Pierce brothers, sons of EVIL DEAD effects photographer Bart Pierce. Following this came SENNENTUNTSCHI: CURSE OF THE ALPS, apparently the first ever genre film to be made in Switzerland. Then saw the UK premiere of INBRED (the title really does say it all) and A LONELY PLACE TO DIE. Here’s our final daily round-up…

DEADHEADS

Director: Brett Pierce, Drew T. Pierce

Starring: Michael McKiddy, Ross Kidder, Markus Taylor, Natalie Victoria

Synopsis: When Mike (McKiddy) wakes up to find he is dead, it dawns on him that he is now one of the living dead. Along with slacker-zombie Brent (Kidder), Mike travels across the country to track down true love he has lost over the three years he has been deceased…

Horror Highlights? The talking zombies that function as ordinary people – and ones who are still concerned with their love lives – is a neat twist on the living dead genre, which by now, has been approached almost every way possible.

Gory Gash? Irritating acting, obvious humour, and a thick layer of cheese, without having any of the smarts of film like this should.

Overall? We’ve no idea – your man from The Hollywood News walked out at the point the zombies started to get stoned and ask questions like ‘How do we know only silver bullets kill werewolves… why couldn’t it be… er, a chicken sandwich… woah’. Utter dross.

SENNENTUNTSCHI: CURSE OF THE ALPS

Director: Michael Steiner

Starring: Roxanne Mesquida, Nicholas Ofczarek, Andrea Zogg, Carlos Leal

Synopsis: When a mysterious mute woman arrives in a small village in the Swiss Alps, the local policeman (Ofczarek) tries to protect her whilst the villagers cast her out as a demon. Meanwhile, an identical woman appears at a herdsman’s cabin after a night of drunken witchcraft…

Horror Highlights? Though based on a real myth, it’s one that will be relatively unknown to most audiences, and as a result the supernatural shenanigans are a breath of fresh mountain air. Steiner draws out a genuinely intriguing mystery, and viewers will be captivated as to how the two story threads will eventually combine. The film is also beautifully shot, making the most of the beautiful Alps landscape. Features some top-notch sinister moments, too.

Gory Gash? The climax of the film doesn’t mesh quite as sucessfully as one would like, and some details remain unanswered. Though some ambiguity is always welcome, the film would have benefitted from some clarification in several areas. Also, the switching between story threads dilutes our connection with the characters, and one strand proves far more interesting than the other.

Conclusions? A few minor issues but otherwise an enjoyable and refreshing supernatural thriller. Beautifully shot and good performances all round.

INBRED

Director: Alex Chandon

Starring: Jo Hartley, Seamus O’Neill, Nadine Rose Mulkerrin, James Burrows

Synopsis: Two care workers and four youth offenders travel to a remote Yorkshire village to complete a community service detail. It’s not long before they come to blows with the unusual locals who, unfortunately for them, reveal themselves to be a bizarre and sinister bunch…

Horror Highlights? INBRED starts very well, and does a fair job of establishing the contrasting characters and their isolation. Very much in the vein of SEVERANCE or DOGHOUSE, most of the gore is played for laughs, and does this is  by way of some very inventive violence, particularly in its use of countryside paraphernalia (asparagus up the nose, anyone?). The locals’ unusual behaviour is also most amusing, and original to boot. It’s also good to see Britain’s most under-appreciated actress Jo Hartley take a lead role.

Gory Gash? The digital trickery that blends together (admittedly real) effects never quite works and cheapens the film somewhat. And once INBRED passes the midway point, it falls into the usual trap of generic plotting – plenty of getting captured and escaping, running back and forth and explaining what’s happening next.

Overall? Plenty of fun if you don’t scrutinize it too closely. Good gore, imaginative touches, big laughs, and a few genuine surprises.

A LONELY PLACE TO DIE

Director: Julian Gilbey

Starring: Melissa George, Ed Speelers, Sean Harris

Synopsis: When a group of mountaineers discover a small girl held captive in the woods, they attempt to return her safely to the nearest village. But the girl’s captors soon follow, determined to retrieve the girl at any cost…

Horror Highlights? The first half of A LONELY PLACE TO DIE is gripping and tense stuff, and director Gilbey makes great use of the Scottish wilderness as a means of creating suspense. The sense of isolation masterfully lingers over the characters, and what THE DESCENT did for claustrophobia, this does acrophobia (fear of heights to the laymen out there). The villains of the piece are also terrifying and utterly ruthless.

Gory Gash? The film does lose something once the backstory is revealed, and what starts as a tense and (almost) original thriller breaks down into generic and predictable mediocrity. Perhaps if Gilbey had kept the action purely in the mountains – surely the film’s USP – he may have created something more memorable.

Overall? A strong start that loses it way once it begins answering questions. However, absolutely worth a look and a good effort from leading lady Melissa George.

Other highlights from FrightFest’s final day? We saw the final John Carpenter tribute – Ben Wheatley’s 10 minute re-imagining of ASSAULT ON PREICINT 13 – and where the previous installments played it for laughs, Wheatley’s short is a classy and tense zombie affair (he’s about to become Britain’s hottest director for sure).

So, after five days of terror-tastic fun, that’s it for another year’s FrightFest… more this time in 2012 folks.