As we reported yesterday, this March 11-12 marks the return of Hamiltons Fright Night Theatre, a two day film festival specializing in indie genre cinema, which takes place at The Staircase Theatre in Hamilton, Ontario. SHOCKs Richelle Charkot continues her coverage of the festival with a preview of the the second day’s film schedule.
March 12
3:00 pm – Short Film Showcase!
Short film showcases are always a welcomed inclusion to film festivals. Offering a nice little mental respite from full length features with a series of bite-sized cinematic treats, where if certain shorts are weaker, the audience only has to endure a few minutes before theyre offered another chance to enjoy a different one.
CHATEAU SAUVIGNON: TERROIR
Directed by: David E. Munz-Maire
Although there is an exception to every rule, shorts seem to function best when they present one tight scene that implicates a beginning and an end without having to go into obsessive, shoehorned detail. Chateau Sauvignon: Terroir is a great example of just that. The film follows a vintner father and son who just wants to take care of his sick mother. Although they seemingly lead simple lives, It is quickly discovered that they both routinely murder people on the vineyard estate. This short looks gorgeous and gritty, and very effectively keeps in its small budget by being very particular with the direction, in order to allow the audience to get wrapped up in terror, rather than showcase cheap gore which might take people out of the story.
THE INDESTRUCTIBLE
Directed by: Kalen Artinian
High school qualms of insecurity and a desire for approval drip all over the walls of Artinians universe. With a distinct feeling that it is inspired by Richard Bate Jrs delusional coming of age story Excision, this short uses mixed mediums to chronicle one disturbed boys fantasies of The Indestructible, a function of his ego which cannot be wounded. This short is fun and adequately balances extremely dark concepts with a bit of a biting humour, making it an easy yet gruesome watch.
PORTAL TO HELL!!
Directed by: Vivieno Caldinelli
I was fortunate enough to see Portal this past Toronto After Dark, where I promptly wiped the tears out of my eyes to watch the last film starring the incomparable Rowdy Roddy Piper. This short follows Piper as a superintendent who is at his breaking point due to some childlike tenants who need their hands constantly held. On one day where he goes into the basement to try and fix the electricity, the notices that two old men are conjuring a portal to a Lovecraftian hell. This short is super funny, warranting several moments of honest laughter, with charming practical effects that act as perfect, palatable eye-candy for horror fans.
THEY WILL ALL DIE IN SPACE
Directed by: Javier Chillion
This short follows an ill-fated crew in space who enact an emergency reanimation of one of the members, who had been in a state of suspended animation. It is soon discovered that paranoia is running rampant on the ship, and the intentions of the remaining members becomes incredibly unclear. The filmmaker made a wise decision to render this short in black and white because it makes it look far cleaner than it might in colour on a low budget, but the story is a little rocky and hard to follow.
EXORDIUM
Directed by: Morgan King
Exordium is undoubtedly one of the stand out hits in this showcase. This animated film is equipped with heavy metal madness, depicting a group of warriors fighting their enemy at the gates of a destroyed fortress. This short is a psychedelic nightmare thanks to its hand-drawn and gritty animation, with much to offer visually for fantasy and horror fans alike.
THE SMILING MAN
Directed by: A.J. Briones
A short and sweet monster story will always be welcomed in the hearts of genre fans. This film follows one little girls evening at home, when suddenly she hears something down the hall. She peaks her head out to find a balloon being weighed down by a plastic bag full of doll arms, and as she reaches the balloon, realizes that there is another down the steps. The little girl follows the trail around her house, and discovers something scary in the kitchen. Briones presents a simple and very effective little slice of home-alone life, with a monster that would give the ghoul behind the dumpster in Mulholland Dr. a run for its money.
GRACE
Directed by: Karen Nielsen
This post-apocalyptic story follows a cute little girl and her dog named Maverick and how they have managed to survive a harsh landscape totally alone for over a year. Grace meets one man along the way who seems to be trustworthy, but everything takes a total left turn in almost no time at all. This short is an okay watch and gets its point across without hitting the audience over the head, but it does not really offer much that will make it stand out from the millions of other post-apocalyptic stories.
THE BLACK FOREST
Directed by: Paul Urkijo
For fans of Army of Darkness (See: Everyone), The Black Forest has a fairly similar veneer, teetering between fantasy and horror all while being very, very silly. It follows a brave knight as he enters the evil Black Forest, and chronicles the monsters and troubles that he encounters along the way. The Black Forest knows exactly what it is and isnt trying to wow audiences, it instead functions very well as a ridiculous short film worthy of a couple of giggles.
NIGHT OF THE SLASHER
Directed by: Shant Hamassian
Even though there are literally thousands before her, Night of the Slashers final girl manages to be a distinctive, stand alone bad-ass who is dying to enact revenge on the man who slit her throat open. She meticulously commits as many horror movie sins as possible to bring back her attacker so she can try to kill him, whether it means drinking four beers in a row, smoking a joint, or having sex. This short is gorgeously shot as one extended sequence with no cuts, and by keeping to one simple and uniquely funny scene, it serves very well as a tight piece of self aware horror humour.
O CHRISTMAS TREE
Directed by: Greg Kovacs
What can be sweeter than a granny on Christmas day? O Christmas Tree is a fairly standard Christmas slasher story taking place in a sweet old womans house after a group of carollers have been invited inside for cookies. This short doesnt really do a lot for the genre or bring much new to the table that hasnt been done before, but it is still a palatable watch with plenty of icky gross out scenes.
7:00 pm – SHE WHO MUST BURN screening with the short film THE HERD
THE HERD
Directed by Melanie Light
Written by: Ed Pope
Starring: Dylan Barnes, Victoria Broom, Jon Campling
The Herd has been hailed as a vegan feminist film, in spite of the fact that it seems to suggest that women are on par with animals by depicting women in cages being tortured for beauty products. As a viewer, it is nearly impossible to determine what this film is trying to say, because the aforementioned seems so outwardly ludicrous, insensitive and infuriating that one can only hope it is not true. If The Herds political motivations are what they seem, this short has no place in front of a film as important and interesting as She Who Must Burn, which is an incredibly feminist skewering of religious men believing that they have any right at all to comment on a womans body. I, for one, welcome anyone who watches this short and gets a different reading to contact me and tell me that I read it wrong, because I dont want to believe that something so profoundly hateful could be committed to film in this day and age.
SHE WHO MUST BURN
Written and directed by: Larry Kent
Starring: Sarah Smyth, Bart Anderson, Steve Bradley
She Who Must Burn is without a doubt the standout hit of the weekend. Larry Kent paints a viciously dark picture of a town that is running rampant with religious zealots, who have their delirious sights set on Angela, a woman who works in planned parenthood. The evangelist characters in this movie are written as lunatic caricatures (even right down to their wardrobes), who speak in tongues and truly believe that they are doing the Lords work, which is exactly what makes this movie so interesting. Kents viewpoints on religion become crystal clear to the viewer by showcasing deranged madmen that still believe that they are morally sound. This is a difficult and almost indescribably bleak watch, making it very effective at getting its point across. It is also perfectly cast across the board, with special mention to Missy Cross as Rebecca Baarker, who is one of the most evil out of the entire set of characters. She Who Must Burn doesnt just put you at the edge of your seat, it ignites so much anger and unease that it will makes you stand up and want to scream at the screen, but that is the exact reaction it is going for.
9:30 pm – THE BARN screening with the short film LARRY GONE DEMON
LARRY GONE DEMON
Written and directed by: Matt Lawrence
Starring: Kristina Berger, Ryan Conrath, Tjasa Ferme
There are too many metalhead filmmakers in horror who just want to remake Dead Alive. For those still bored from the most recent offender, the teen boy fantasy Deathgasm, this short will offer nothing more than a fairly boring and run-of-the-mill story, peppered with gore to try and make up for its lack of actual jokes. It follows a group of roommates who are fed up with their slacker friend Larry who is behind on the rent and committing several bad roomie infractions, such as playing black metal music all night long at full volume and otherwise being cagey and weird. The group dont realize immediately, but they soon discover that Larry has been possessed by a dark entity, so they quickly try to solve their little demon problem. Larry Gone Demon has a multitude of gore gags that just don’t make up for the fact that there isnt really anything interesting to be mined here.
THE BARN
Written and directed by: Justin M. Seaman
Starring: Mitchell Musolino, Will Stout, Lexi Dripps
Everybody likes a good ol 80s movie about people overcoming their fears. The Barn, a movie modeled after the 80s aesthetic, follows a group of friends who venture to a haunted barn where absolutely under no circumstances should one knock three times and then say, Trick or treat! Legend has it that if someone commits this act, Halloween demons will manifest and attack everyone in their path. The Barn is a serviceable example of a movie made purely out of the filmmakers love for horror, with plenty of absolutely disgusting gore gags that will at least warrant a giggle or two from audiences. It also acts well in its late night time-slot because it requires absolutely no thought from those who watch it, just open eyelids.
