It’s time to stop counting down the days…Grimmfest 2014 has finally arrived (well, the teaser preview night has) and if the remainder of the festival lives up to the standard set at The Odeon Printworks on Tuesday the next few days in Manchester will undoubtedly be bloodcurdlingly terrifying. With a series of short films and features that included murderous puppets, classic horror characters, new nightmares and even some moody French zombies, Grimmfest has once again shown that it is one of the most important and interesting genre film festivals in the UK.
Opening short film ‘Tasha & Friends’ was described by Grimm head honcho Simeon Halligan eclectically as a blend of ‘muppets and gore’, and that’s about all you need to know. It’s safe to say that you’ll never watch Sesame Street the same way again! Following these ferocious furry friends came Wes Craven’s seminal horror ‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’, a film that remains as influential and important today as it was when released 30 years ago. There surely has not been a character in this period that has been so often imitated, yet never matched and the chance to see the original film on the big screen was one not to be missed.
Following a French short that felt more art project than horror film (looked stylish but lacked any real depth) was the screening of Jennifer Kent’s highly rated ‘The Babadook’. This much anticipated film taps into the fear we all share of horrors that surely mustn’t exist in the real world and while it may have steered away from the traditional jump scares so frequent in today’s films it carried throughout a malevolent intensity, a brooding creepiness that once it invaded your psyche was almost impossible to dismiss. It is without doubt a potential horror classic that contained performances deserving of recognition.
Grimmfest 2014 begins in earnest on Thursday 2nd October, and with screenings of Jessica Cameron’s visceral Truth Or Dare and the insanely titled Zombeavers over the four days it is definitely a festival not to miss. For more information and tickets visit www.grimmfest.com.
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