Ladies and gentleman, ghouls and gravediggers, undead and dead alike, welcome to another wrap-up of Shriekfest! 2010 was a pretty good year, all things considered. First off, I’d like to say that I really like Shriekfest. I have a great time there and I usually make time to see just about everything.
Ladies and gentleman, ghouls and gravediggers, undead and dead alike, welcome to another wrap-up of Shriekfest! 2010 was a pretty good year, all things considered. First off, I’d like to say that I really like Shriekfest. I have a great time there and I usually make time to see just about everything.
This year was no different. I managed to see every short, every feature that was screened, except ONE. Much to my dismay, the one feature I missed, Transfer, was apparently the best of the weekend, according to those in attendance. This was particularly disappointing because, well, all of the features this year were sort of middle of the road. There weren’t any stand-outs for me. Well, I guess there might have been one – but I missed it. That’s the way it goes with festivals, really. If you choose to take a break, you might miss a gem. It’s just part of the game, man.
Let’s just take a look at the highlights of the weekend, shall we? I mean, I only have so much space here.
I’m going to start at the beginning, Friday night, October 1st. For me the stand out that night was Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer. Brian Krause and Lance Henriksen were in this. I’ll watch Henriksen do just about anything. And here, his character narrates a tale abotu a serial killer, and though the narration gets a little cumbersome at times, which such a device can do, the second half of this movie gets grisly and intense, and made the viewing worthwhile.
On Saturday, we start with a short program, and seeing we feature those here, I love checking those out. And I have no attention span… what? Hey, wait a minute!… So, out of Saturday’s shorts, my favorites start with By A Hair. A man wakes up and finds what appears to be a stray hair in his chin. Things get ugly from there. And disgusting. And funny.
Next up was Frank Dancoolo: Paranormal Drug Dealer. Holy crap, it’s full of hardboiled dialogue, CG graphics, and even clay-mation! OMG, it’s awesome.
The Guest is a cool little horror short that has a nice twist. A woman alone and a mysterious intruder both get more than they bargained for when a quiet night becomes deadlier than either of them imagined.
Then we have Dispatch. A woman wakes up clinging to life. Evidence of bloody violence around her, she must figure out how to survive. It’s got a neat little twist. I dug this, too.
Last was Miracle Fish. A boy has an 8th birthday he will never forget. This was a great little thriller that I really hope people get to see. Not technically horror, but so good it doesn’t matter.
I’ll mention the one other here, Run, which was pretty good, considering it was made by a TEN YEAR OLD.
The features Saturday really were varied, but my faves were Kiss The Abyss, a unique story of bringing back those you love from the dead. This was a pretty original take on what first seems to be a zombie concept. I kinda dug this film.
Grey Skies has a group of friends vacationing in a secluded cabin that become terrorized by…something. Look for Michael Cornacchia with some great lines. I also liked the way they shot the “somethings” that were terrorizing them. Decent make-up combined with a certain amount of shadow and camera effects made them effectively scary.
Last film of the night was Transfer, which I sadly missed, because it won best Sci-Fi feature award. I’m STILL kicking myself for not seeing it.
Sunday we jumped right back into it with two groups of shorts.
Murder Baby was hilarious and should be seen by everyone. Don’t let the upbeat, catchy jingle fool you, this baby is dangerous.
Rise of the Appliances is pretty straight forward, except that it’s a U.K. short and that makes it all the better. Some nice CG effects and wonderful British humor, makes this fun to watch. But then, I’ll watch the Brits do most anything. Almost.
On Air is an intense, psychological horror treat from Germany. A radio host gets a call from a serial killer and makes it a night to remember. I really enjoyed this one. Those Germans know how to fuck your shit up.
O2 is a neat little Sci-Fi thriller. Three people aboard a ship discover they only have enough oxygen for two to survive. How are they gonna work this out? You’ll almost go “Aaaaw” at the end.
Once again the Brits delight an audience with a short called The Furred Man. A man sits in an interrogation room with a black eye, a bruised cheek, and wearing a furry costume covered in dried blood. He can explain…
Short program two on Sunday offered up things like DemiUrge Emesis, a little stop-motion animation piece narrated by Danny Elfman, about a mummified cat that is tormented by skeletons of his past meals.
Zombies and Cigarettes is a stylish zombie film that is actually pretty cool, but the ending seemed a bit flat.
Stiffs is more comedy than horror, in fact it’s very little horror, but it’s so fun and such a good story, I didn’t care. Kurt and Archie, drivers for the county Coroner, are in for a long night after the body of a teenage suicide wakes up in their van on the way to the morgue. A surprisingly funny and sweet tale.
Get Off My Porch is pretty fun, if not terribly original. I love those Girl Scout cookies as much as the next guy, but sometimes those girls can be really persistent. Disturbingly persistent. Inhumanly persistent.
Shooting Earth is a really funny five minutes. “It was the worst assignment in the Universe, but at least Earth days are only 24 hours long.” Yeah, it’s worth the watch.
Serum 1831 was a good Sci-Fi,with an undead sort of twist. Good acting and production value, got this one the award for best short.
The features Sunday night were…mixed. Solitary has an agoraphobic woman trapped inside her house and thinks her husband and psychiatrist are trying to drive her insane. Solitary was pretty good, but I thought it was going to fail for me, I won’t deny it. But with its’ twists and turns, and a strong emotional center, I actually liked this film.
Ashes was the final film, and it won the best horror feature award. A brilliant and obsessive doctor working on a cure for AIDS, unwittingly invent an aggressive new bacteria that deteriorates the body and enrages the mind. Now he must stop the infection before it destroys him and everyone he loves. Brian Krause stars in his second film of the Festival and does a fine job. In fact, the acting is all good here, the make-up is realistic. That right, giving props to the make-up. Got a problem with that?
There were some, uh, not so good shorts and features throughout the weekend, but hey, why beat people up about such things? We love to support independent film making despite the fact that you know, maybe some people need to get some more experience and education under their belt. Or maybe should choose a different aspect of the film industry, or just become an accountant and keep their film experience to being an audience member. I’m just sayin’.
That being said, I love Shriekfest, and I’ll continue to support it every year we are lucky enough to have it around.
~ Neil T. Weakley, your average movie-goer, saying, Happy Halloween!
