FrightFest 2011 Preview
Here's our tips for the incredible line-up of the horror event.
FrightFest is getting scarily close, and we've been obsessing about its lineup for months now. Having caught quite a few of the films featured at the event, we've been very impressed by the standard this year. Read on for what we've seen, and what we're most looking forward to seeing at the Leicester Square horror festival this weekend.
Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (Main Screen, Thursday 6.30pm)
Eerie, creepy and dripping with atmosphere, this Guillermo Del Toro produced adaptation of a 1970's TV movie may not be packed full of out and out scares, but will have audiences very nervous indeed. The film has impressive pedigree with its cast and producer, and is opening the festival on Thursday night. Starring Katie Holmes, Guy Pierce and Bailee Madison as a young family who are resorting an old house with a dark secret, it's the pervading spookiness and unmistakable Del Toro touch which makes Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark one of our picks of the bunch. Watch out for our full review, coming soon.
Troll Hunter (Main Screen, Saturday 11am)
An absolute joy from start to finish, Troll Hunter is positively bananas, but great fun. A fresh and original take on the found footage sub genre (People need to be more careful with their cameras these days) it follows a student film crew, who follow a disgruntled troll hunter through his "mundane" routine. A real oddity coming out of Norway, this is comedy horror done just right - told with a straight face which will have you laughing along with the action. Check out our review here.
Kill List (Main Screen, Sunday 8.50pm)
Not just the best FrightFest film we've caught so far, but one of our films of the year, Kill List flits between a number of genres effortlessly, driven by pitch-perfect performances and intense direction. It really is best to go in knowing nothing about it, even perhaps without seeing a trailer (Although it's below if you wish to see it), in order to experience Kill List fully. WIthout giving any spoilers away, we can safely report that the film nails domestic drama, horror, and comedy with equal aplomb. Our review will be up soon, but for now just rest assured that you will not be disappointed with this top class British effort.
A Lonely Place To Die (Main Screen, Monday 9pm)
We loved this film, a visceral and intense thriller, mixing the urgency of numerous chases with truly three-dimensional characters and taut climbing scenes. The plot follows five friends on a mountaineering holiday, who come across a young girl buried alive in the woods. They naturally step in, only to be drawn in to a frightening international crime ring, with the relative safety of a nearby village their only hope. You can read our review here. Set to close FrightFest this year, the organisers really have made a great choice with yet another intense British selection.
Final Destination 5 (Main Screen, Thursday 9.15pm)
The most fun we've had in a cinema this year, Final Destination 5 is great value. A must see in cinemas, due to the spectacular nature of the set pieces coupled with what we believe to be the best use of 3D seen so far. Wading in with plenty of the series' trademark nasty kills, we spent a solid 90 minutes laughing ourselves hoarse at this gruesomely hilarious feast of gore. Here's our full review of the film that gorehounds won't want to miss.
So those are our picks of the bunch so far, but what about the flicks we haven't been lucky enough to see just yet? Here are the five that most intrigue us, and which we will be doing all we can to catch just as soon as we can.
The Woman (Main Screen, Saturday 9pm)
Lucky McKee's The Woman comes with a degree of notoriety, after the infamous Sundance walk-out incident. As we tend to be suckers for anything controversial, we are eagerly looking forward to experiencing this for the first time. The film is about a successful family man who comes across a feral woman living in the woods near his home, before taking her home and keeping her chained in his basement as he attempts to "civilise" her. early buzz is that this is an extremely hard watch, and we can't wait to meet The Woman.
Tucker And Dale Vs Evil (Main Screen, Friday 9.55pm)
This year's line up contains a lot of comedy elements, and Tucker and Dale Vs Evil looks like being the pick of the bunch. Riffing on the conventions of the slasher movie, the film shows a group of college students who run into a pair of slaughtering hillbillies - the twist being that the pair have no idea what's going on. A series of comedy accidental deaths occur, and the feedback we've heard is that Tucker And Dale is laugh-a-minute stuff. The only problem here is that we watched the trailer - which unbelievably shows more or less the entire story, being packed with spoilers including almost every death. Disastrous promo video (below, if you really want to see it) aside, we have been eagerly awaiting this one for weeks.
Saint (Main Screen, Sunday 6.35pm)
Looking very similar to 2010's Rare Exports, The Saint has been a hit in it's native Netherlands, where it's mix of horror and comedy have earned positive reviews. The story is that of a murderous demon Santa Claus, who abducts and kills children every December 5th - the film has proved a little controversial thanks to some resemblance between the villain and Saint Nick, and has been accused of not only trying to traumatise children, but of nearly ruining Christmas! This sounds like fun to us, and we are intrigued to see how this turns out. Rare Exports was a well shot if slow-paced horror, and from the small amount of footage we've seen of this, it looks like a more fun version of that film.
Rabies (Discovery Screen, Friday 5.15pm and Sunday 1.15pm)
Perhaps the film we're most excited about, Rabies is an intriguing looking horror hailing from Israel. We've heard nothing but good things about this one, and will be checking it out as soon as we get a chance. The story involves a brother and sister running away from home, only to encounter a killer in the nature reserve they choose to live in. The story is intertwined with a few other strands, and this is by all accounts an innovative and original slasher film.
The Glass Man (Main Screen, Friday 7.05pm)
In another UK effort which sounds appealingly relevant to recession Britain, a man loses his job but is too afraid to tell his wife. Getting into financial difficulties, he meets a mysterious debt collector who promises to solve all his money worries if he helps him carry out an unspecified task. This sounds like a great premise for a psychological horror, and reportedly sporting a great central performance from Andy Nyman, we will be sniffing out a chance to see The Glass Man as soon as we can.
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