Film4 FrightFest 2010 Preview
A look at which horror films screening this weekend everyone will be talking about for the next year.
I'm stupidly excited about getting to go to my first ever Film4 FrightFest this weekend, after years of attending music festivals over the August bank holiday.
Now in its 11th year, the Empire in Leicester Square is taken over for five days of the hottest new horror films, with many UK and World premieres. This is where the movies audiences will be talking about for years to come will first be seen, so what should we look out for this time?
The break-out stars:
Monsters - Saturday 28th August 9pm
If you've seen the trailer for Gareth Edwards' post-alien invasion road trip, you'd be amazed that the young Brit was writer, director, production designer and did all the special effects in his home on a laptop. Relying on an emotional core and striking backdrops for his story of two people travelling through alien-infected Mexico to the safety of the US, you'd never think this was done on a shoestring budget.
The Dead - Monday 30th August 1.15pm
It's been an incredible struggle for Howard J. and Jonathan Ford to complete their zombie movie, having filmed in inhospitable areas of Africa. The brothers chose to locate their take on the genre in the harsh continent after noticing the untapped beauty while filming commercials. The Dead follows both a pair of military men, one American, one local, as like Monsters above, they negotiate their way through a living hell. Some may argue the genre is tired, but you never know when another Shaun Of The Dead or 28 Days Later is going to pop up.
The big hits:
The Last Exorcism - Monday 30th August 9pm
Eli Roth has lent his star power to this intriguing mock-documentary, which I'm pleased to see has a PG-13 rating in the US. I'm all for ways of disturbing youngsters! Daniel Stamm's chilling story of an evangelist preacher coming clean about fake exorcisms before one last fateful job closes the festival with its UK premiere.
We Are What We Are - Sunday 29th August 4pm
Dubbed the Mexican Let The Right One In, Jorge Michel Grau's independent horror follows a family driven to cannibalism through poverty. When the father dies, it is left to the reluctant oldest son to pick victims among the city's vulnerable and forgotten people - junkies, prostitutes and drifters. Hoping this is as shocking and disturbing as promised when it premiered to great reviews at this year's Cannes.
The gritty Brits:
F - Friday 27th August 7.15pm
Johannes Roberts sets his slasher flick in an English secondary school, F stars ace character actor David Schofield as a weary, alcoholic English teacher who has to battle a faceless killer and his own personal demons. With school a terrifying place at the best of times, Roberts will make good use of empty corridors and classrooms.
Cherry Tree Lane - Saturday 28th August 11am
London To Brighton director Paul Andrew Williams brings us this tense intruder thriller, featuring a middle-class couple whose son attracts a gang out for revenge. The couple are put through hell as the gang wait for the son to return. Hopefully as raw and disturbing as Williams' previously mentioned work.
The obligatory controversy:
A Serbian Film - Sunday 29th August 9pm
I'm suffering internal conflict as to whether or not to see this political allegory, masquerading as a snuff horror, as Srdjan Spasojevic will spend the next year trying to defend the ghastly experiences he puts his poor audience through. When I first heard about the film, I read the full plot before becoming convinced it wasn't purely exploitation horror, so be warned - the envelope has been torn to shreds. A former porn star is now happily settled with his wife and child, but times are hard, and he's persuaded to take on another role in an experimental art-house porno. There follows a nightmare of the most unimaginable sexual violence I believe has ever been portrayed on film, and I'll only be watching so I can provide a balanced point of view when the shitstorm kicks up.
The special treats:
Tobe Hooper Q&A - Friday 27th August 3pm
Total Film are presenting a tribute to the great director, who'll be making his first appearance in the UK in 18 years. Following a rare screening of his 1969 fantasy Eggshells (restored and remastered) and his iconic Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hooper will be onstage for 45 minutes to discuss his work, which includes the wonderful Poltergeist (my first horror film - wish it was showing).
Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship and Videotape - Monday 30th August 11.15am
Jake West's documentary gets its world premiere, followed by a horror celebrity panel discussion. An in-depth look at that never-forgotten hysterical era in Britain, which made legends out of many films and directors. It's hard to imagine a time of such censorship now, so take a trip back to a time where you couldn't get your hands on a much-talked about new horror. Horrible!
Find out the full programme here.
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