The Film4 Frightfest is well under way and thousands have been packing out screenings of pure horror goodness for the past couple of days for this its second year at its new home in Leicester Square’s VUE theatre. The selective mix of horror styles and themes has been fantastic once more and here is a quick rundown of just some of Friday’s best picks from the second day of the popular horror fest.
The Rotten Link 4/5
It was great to be amongst the first to be at the World premiere of ‘The Rotten Link’, the second feature from Argentinean director Javier Dimut. I wouldn’t really classify it as a horror but a stark, darkly funny, melancholy mysterious melodrama played out in a small village. It’s a slow burn but the wait to the brutally amusing climax is a treat thanks to a fantastic cast, tight script and beautiful music and cinematography. It’s not out in Argentina till next year so keep an eye out for this gem of a movie.
The Diabolical 2.5/5
Single mum Madison (Ali Larter) encounters a terrifying haunting in her home that may be more than the supernatural. This starts out as a haunted house movie before taking a turn into Sci-fi at which point there is a lot of cheesy CGI, lessening the impact somewhat. It does however have good pace and is never really dull, the cast are good too but for me it just felt rather generic. Credit to director Alistair Legrand for giving coming at the haunted house from a different angle and Larter is excellent as Madison.
Aaaaaaaah! 3.5/5
The new movie from Sightseers’ star and writer Steve Oram featuring some familiar faces; Toyah Wilcox and Noel Fielding. Filmed in the old Academy aspect ratio and dialogue free, all the characters communicate with animal like grunts. It’s a very weird and funny film and the most experimental movie I’ve seen in a while. You get the feeling the cast were having a great time and it really rubbed off on the audience. There is a loose narrative interspersed with vignette-like scenes that are mostly gleefully bonkers, under our shells we’re all just animals that shit, fuck, puke and pee, sometimes at the same time.
We Are Still Here 4/5
Grieving parents Anne and Paul move into a New Jersey farmhouse in the middle of winter after the death of their son. Anne (Barbara Crampton) feels he is still with them as mysterious noises are heard throughout the house. She invites friends May and Jacob to visit for the weekend hoping May’s psychic abilities will help her connect to their son. ‘We are still here’ is a homage to films like ‘House by the Cemetery’ and ‘The Fog’ and it’s great fun. The ghosts are fantastic creations, visible in shadow with glowing milky eyes. The build up is very suspenseful and the script is witty. It rockets along at a surprising pace and is well acted, Crampton is superb in particular and it’s lovely to see Lisa Marie (from numerous Tim Burton movies) in a great supporting role. I’d say this has been my favorite film so far, atmosphere and acting pitch-perfect, some decent scares and a few good laughs.
Report by Richard Mansfield (@mansfielddark)
Please visit: www.MansfieldDark.com
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