BRITFLICKS.COM BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS - Arrow Video Frightfest 2018
Top 5 Horror & Genre Movies at Frightfest 2018
1) CLIMAX
Written and directed by Gaspar Noe
Climax retells the true story of a nineties dance troupe who unwittingly drank booze spiked with LSD. See it on the biggest screen you can find with the loudest sound system on the planet for the full mesmeric effect.
2) A BLUEBIRD IN MY HEART
Adapted from Dannie M Martin’s novel THE DISHWASHER by Jeremie Guez
Directed by Jeremie Guez
Like Alan Ladd’s titular character SHANE, the ex-con at the heart of this story will try and always fail to lead a non-violent, contented crime-free life.
3) TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID
Written by Joseph Kahn & Alex Larson
Written and directed by Issa Lopez
This dark fairy tale about orphans stranded in a forgotten corner of Mexico’s cartel land shows how children hiding away from every day horrors in their young imagination can conjure up something much scarier than gangs and guns.
4) BRAID
Written and directed by Mitzi Peirone
This assured debut feature about two small time drug dealers on the run transforms into an unreal cinematic journey to oblivion.
5) UPGRADE
Written and directed by Leigh Whannell
A witty, action packed nightmare vision from a near future world that warns technology may make our lives seem better, but it could erase survival instincts that have been crucial to the human race for millennia.
Top 3 British Horror & Genre Films At FrightFest 2018
1) THE DEVIL'S DOORWAY
Written by Martin Brennan, Aislinn Clarke and Michael B Jackson
Directed by Aislinn Clarke
A measured piece of genre cinema that balances the real world horrors of the Catholic Church’s Magdalene Sisters Home with a convincingly scary tale of possession.
2) ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE
Written by Alan Macdonald, Ryan McHenryDirected by John McPhail
The happiest, most gleeful gore-frenzy depiction of a zombie apocalypse musical you’ll ever see.
3) F.U.B.A.R
Written and directed Ben Kent
A stag do gang of numb nuts accidentally kill a pretend zombie they’re meant to shoot with paint ball pellets and increasingly make their dire situation worse by being even more stupid for the horror lolz.
Horror & Genre Movie With The Best Twist
1) INCIDENT IN A GHOSTLAND
Written and directed by Pascal Laugier
INCIDENT IN A GHOSTLAND continues to demonstrate Laugier’s skill in cooking up and delivering a juicy twist that carries you confused and frightened into a thrilling final act. Like MARTYRS and the criminally underrated TALL MAN, you thought you were watching one film, but it turns out it was something completely different.
2) THE DARK
Written by Justin P Lange
Directed by Justin P Lange and Klemens Hufnagi
The start of THE DARK is the end of most films as the net closes in on Josef - a child kidnapper on the run from the law and his mugshot on the TV in the gas station he’s gathering supplies. His hapless attempt to wait it out in the woods results in his sudden death – the end of Josef’s story, but the beginning of a rather special horror tale of two abused teenagers finding hope in one another’s desperate situations.
3) ONE CUT OF THE DEAD
Written and directed by Shin’ichiro Ueda
For the more impatient film fans out there, there’s a chance you might not make it past the first half hour, but those who do will discover that ONE CUT OF THE DEAD is infact a terrific feat in filmmaking.
Best Film Music FrightFest 2018
1) POSSUM
Written and directed by Matthew Holness
Kit Fraser’s stunning cinematography, Charlotte Pearson’s grimy and dilapidated production design, Crispin Buxton’s lost and lonely locations and the profound sounds and melodies of The Radiophonic Workshop are a dark, twisted delight for the eyes and ears as the madness unfolds.
2) CLIMAX
Written and directed by Gaspar Noe
There’s eclectic mix of early disco classics, like CERRONE’s Supernature, through to contemporary EDM like DAFT PUNK’s relentless Rollin’ & Scratchin’ that pound the living daylights out of your ears from start to finish.
Best FrightFest Villain 2018
1) A YOUNG MAN WITH HIGH POTENTIAL
Written by Anna de Paoli and Linus de Paoli
Directed by Linus de Paoli
An amoral tale about a brilliant computer science student Piet Carnell (Adam Ild Rohweder) whose pathetic attempt to rape a drugged up fellow student turns from humiliation to murder.
2) BAD SAMARITAN
Written by Brandon Boyce
Directed by Dean Devlin
David Tennant shines bright as the Maserati driving, tech-savvy, uber wealthy master-villain Cale Erendreich.
3) THE CLEANING LADY
Written by Alexis Kendra and Jon Knautz
Directed by Jon Knautz
In this purposefully slow building story, Shelly (Rachel Alig) is a horrifically scarred, enigmatic cleaner/handy woman, but when she eventually flips she fast becomes downright nasty and calculated.
BEST OF THE REST 2018
It has been impossible to include all the ones I enjoyed in my final awards list. Here’s the Britflicks best of the rest list:
BODIED
Written by Joseph Kahn & Alex Larson
Directed by Joseph Kahn
Produced by Eminem, it’s a peculiar coming of age story that lampoons a molly coddled, safe space hiding generation for arguing themselves into a liberal vacuum and throws over simplistic identity politics dogma under the bus.
LIFE AFTER FLASH
Written and directed by Lisa Downs
Thirty-five years after FLASH GORDON was released Lisa Downs’ documentary examines the legacy of this camp, sci-fi masterpiece through the prism of its star – Sam J Jones.
TERRIFIED (original title ATERRADOS)
Written and directed by Demian Rugna
This Argentinean scarefest taps into an ongoing global investigation into paranormal rumblings and sets it in an Buenos Aires suburban street to provide that rare horror treat - a delightfully unnerving experience in terror. Not for the faint hearted.
THE FIELD GUIDE TO EVIL
Horor Anthology from Tim League and Ant Timpson
A global expedition to eight of folklore’s darkest outposts with directors such as Greece’s Yannis Veslemes (NORWAY), UK’s Peter Strickland (DUKE OF BURGUNDY), Poland’s Agnieszka Smorcynska (THE LURE) and Germany’s Katrin Gebbe (NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN)
THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT
Written and directed by Robert D Krzykowski
Robert D Krzykowski (co-producer of THE WOMAN) debut feature is about the process of growing old and coming to terms with the memories of a life lived as you begin to accept your own mortality.
THE WITCH IN THE WINDOW
Written and directed by Andy Mitton
It takes a lot of craft and imagination to create something refreshing out of the ghost in the house story. Andy Mitton’s third feature script achieves it in spades.
VIDEOMAN (original title VIDEOMANNEN)
Written and directed by Kristian A Soderstrom
Soderstrom’s debut feature is most definitely a loving ‘giallo’ pastiche, but without gruesome deaths or needless misogyny. The powers that be at Frightfest towers have always thrown curveballs at their audiences from across the genre. Swedish noir comedy, VIDEOMANNEN, is one such film.
LIFECHANGER
Written and directed by Justin McConnell
This high concept sci-fi/horror idea is matched with great practical effects from David Scott and his team. While worlds apart in terms of story, LIFECHANGER is a clever film that is cut from the same cerebral, tender cloth as 2017’s IMITATION GIRL.
Stuart Wright
@LeytonRocks
