In 2021, Pierre Tsigaridis’ Two Witches arrived on the festival circuit. The film steadily garnered acclaim and was ultimately scooped up by Arrow Video for a fantastic physical media release. Two Witches was Tsigaridis’ feature film debut exploring the female experience through nightmarish manifestations of the Virgin, Mother, and Crone. Those that saw Two Witches, loved it, and have been patiently awaiting Tsigaridis’ next directorial project. Happily, the wait is now over with his sophomore feature, Traumatika, embarking on its festival tour with its most recent stop being at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest.
For Traumatika, Tsigaridis reunites with his Two Witches’ co-writer, Maxime Rancon, and star Rebekah Kennedy for a very different genre story. Told over a number of years, Traumatika analyses the impact of both childhood and generational trauma through a variety of horror styles. Unlike many of its peers that hone in on a particular method of story-telling, Traumatika broadens out, utilising several approaches to craft an ever changing funhouse of horror. Traumatika begins with a Halloween special of the Jennifer Novac Show, a programme that could have been lifted from the Netflix true crime section. The topic of the spooky special is a heinous series of child abductions and killings from twenty years ago.
After this little teaser of atrocities, Tsigaridis jumps back in time and gets right into showing the events that inspired the documentary. This early sequence, which features a young boy alone in the house with his very unwell ‘mother’, is an excellent way to kick things off. Simply the environment in which the scenario is unfolding is enough to conjure bad dreams. The structure is dank, dark, and seemingly falling apart. That a young child resides inside is criminal enough, let alone the untold horrors that they have been witness to. Coming at the end of the child’s incarceration, the action begins when a police officer makes a house call. From here, the darkness appears to come to life and the sounds of someone, or something, scuttling around the house are terrifying to endure.
A lot of painstaking work has gone into the sound design of Traumatika and this early sequence within the house is a jewel in the film’s crown, primarily due to the Hellish noises delivered. Within the dark confines of a cinema screen, viewing these moments will have the viewer curling up into their chair lest something brush past their legs. Evoking so much fear so soon into a story is no easy task, but Tsigaridis and his team manage it with great aplomb. The use of dark to mask the nightmarish things is extremely well executed and the mean-spirited and gory nature of this scenario clings to the viewer.
From this heartstopping sequence, Traumatika travels further back in time to provide some context for what has just been witnessed. Although these scenes are free of fantastical horror elements, they too are quite harrowing. It is here that the viewer meets Abigail (Rebekah Kennedy), the woman from inside the house. Her back story is tragic and traumatic and enables the audience to sympathise with her ordeal, both past and future. This would not be possible without the fantastic work of Kennedy who is considered enough to play Abigail somewhere between victim and villain across the span of time.
Once all of the set-up has been witnessed, Traumatika shifts toward the present and explores the aftereffects of all these events. The focus shifts from Abigail to her younger sister, Alice (Emily Goss), as she speaks on the Halloween Special. Her intention is to garner some sense of justice, but she finds herself the attention of a mysterious killer. It is here that Traumatika moves into more of a slasher arena, but one that is far more intimate than bodies mounting up everywhere. Tsigaridis manages to capture the eeriness of old school slashers such as Halloween. Prior to being pursued around the house by Michael Myers, Laurie Strode had a series of spooky encounters, and this is exactly what happens to Alice. One excellent use of a bedsheet is a prime example of these moments.
Alongside this plays the Halloween special, which feels as authentic as any other true crime documentary. Tsigaridis and his team have clearly studied many true crime documentaries to ensure that the Jennifer Novac show feels genuine. At the same time, Tsigaridis is unafraid to insert a little wry humour into not only the documentary segment, but in the wider film too. Whilst Traumatika has plenty of moments of acute dread and terror, it also has fun toying with its audience. This is a film that is horror movie literate and uses its knowledge to create the ultimate rollercoaster ride through the genre.
A film that decides to have its cake and eat it, Traumatika is a terrifying whistle-stop tour through several iconic subgenres of horror. The result is akin to riding the ghost train – at some points you’ll be frightened, at others giggling, but overall, you will be overwhelmingly entertained.
Traumatika
Summary
Tsigaridis expertly builds on the success of their debut, Two Witches, with this thrill filled tale of terror that will have viewers once again afraid of the dark.
Traumatika was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024.
