September Treats!

I barely had time to get over all the Fantasia festivities before Colin Geddes unleashed the line-up for this year's TIFF Midnight Madness yesterday morning.

So many titles I've been waiting to see. From Adam Wingard's newest The Guest, to the newest installment of the [REC] series to Mark Hartley's Cannon Films documentary Electric Boogaloo, I can assure you I'll be spending a lot of time at The Ryerson come this September. For more info on the Midnight Madness programme, click here.

As has become customary, the Vanguard programme which Colin often describes as Midnight Madness' “cooler, older sister” has just as many exciting titles, including new films from Fabrice du Welz (Calvaire, Vinyan), Takaski Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer), Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead (Resolution) and Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio). For more info on the Vanguard programme, click here.

Trailer Tuesdays: Something Wicked...

This week's trailer is for the 1983 film Something Wicked This Way Comes, for which I attended a retro screening at this year's Fantasia.

It had been at least twenty years since I'd seen it last, and was glad to see that it still held up beautifully. All the classic Bradbury tropes were wonderfully showcased in this piece, directed by Jack Clayton and produced by Disney back when their children's films still had an edge to them.

Speaking of which, this Something Wicked screening was in celebration of the book launch of Kid Power! An anthology book co-edited by Kier-La Janisse (author of the fantastic tome House of Psychotic Women) and Canuxploitation’s Paul Corupe, Kid Power covers all manner of “cool, tuff and inspiring kids in cult film and television.”

“Growing up, did you ever sit in front of a TV, a 16mm school projector or a VCR and come under the hypnotic spell of the tuff, sassy, cool and inspiring kids that you saw on the screen? Perhaps you grinned as Jacob Two-Two stood up to The Hooded Fang, thrilled as Hawk Jones grabbed a small arsenal to take down some gangsters or cringed as a bespectacled Scott Baio got stoned? We certainly looked up to many of these pint-sized tots, tweens and teens, and chances are you did too. That’s why we’re devoting the first anthology in the new Spectacular Optical book series, KID POWER!, to this inspiring world of kid cult classics from North America, the UK, Australia and beyond. From the 1940s antics of Curley and his Gang to the overwrought denim-clad melodrama of THE ABC AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL, from the surreal fantasies of THE PEANUT BUTTER SOLUTION to the pre-teen bloodsucking dramedy of THE LITTLE VAMPIRE, KID POWER! is a heavily illustrated collection of film writing by a diverse array of some of genre criticism’s most unique voices.”

And to sweeten the event, they also had an all-you-can-eat cereal bar. Thanks to these guys, I am now back on the Froot Loops!

It's been too long, Toucan Sam...

For more info on the book, click here.

Mother Knows Best.

On my last night at Fantasia, I was fortunate enough to catch John McNaughton's newest film The Harvest.

Bed-ridden Andy (Charlie Tahan) knows little of the world beyond the confines of his room and the smothering care of his mother (Samantha Morton). When Maryann (Natalia Calis) moves in next door and strikes up a friendship with Andy, his mother immediately puts a stop to it. Is she simply being overprotective, or does she have something to hide?

I loved this film. It just goes to show you how versatile a director McNaughton really is, as The Harvest is quite different in tone than his previous genre pictures. It has none of the stark morosity of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer or the overt and gore-laden comedy of The Borrower, yet despite this innocence, still maintains a playfully dark flavour.

It's more of a PG-13 thriller told largely from the kid's perspectives and I, as a kid who grew up in the eighties, really respond to these types of stories. You've heard me mention an underseen gem from the UK called Paperhouse and there are moments in The Harvest that capture that kind of magic. The flawless representations of youth and friendship had me smiling a lot, and I was, therefore, completely invested when they were ultimately threatened.

Due to my mention of the phrase “PG-13”, you'd be right in assuming that the film is not particularly edgy by today's standards, but that doesn't take anything away from its quality. Its conclusion was slightly less satisfying than I would've liked, but admittedly, anything over-the-top may have betrayed the grounded center of the story.

Samantha Morton & Charlie Tahan in The Harvest.

Everything about this production was top-notch and infinitely helped by the gravitas brought by veterans like Michael Shannon and Peter Fonda. You really couldn't have found two better youngsters either. Charlie Tahan – who I'd just coincidentally watched in Burning Bright on the train ride up to Montreal – and Natalia Calis – the best thing, by and large, about the 2012 flick The Possession – were wonderful together as Andy & Maryann.

The real standout here though, was Samantha Morton as Andy's domineering mother, Katharine. I would put this performance up there with some of my favourite film maternals, like Rebecca De Mornay's Payton Flanders in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle and Kathy Bates' Annie Wilkes from Misery. Morton is positively scary and able to convey it with just a look. You will constantly be in awe about how she could be so dreadful to her own family.

Director John McNaughton.

This is a tight thriller that plays to a horror fan of any age. It is so solid, in fact, that it makes me sad we had to wait over a decade for McNaughton to bring us a new feature. So, here's hoping he has broken ground on a new chapter in his career.

DKTM 230

It's been an active week with Fantasia Film Festival still going strong and this year's San Diego Comic Con festivities in full swing, so here are some highlights.

Framing Frontieres.

This week, Fangoria posted a link to posters for some of the projects being pitched at this year's Frontieres film market at Fantasia. Here's just a taste.

For the rest, click here.

#SDCC

Since Thursday, all manner of pop culture enthusiasts have descended on the San Diego Convention Center for this year's Comic Con. As always, there is way too much news coming out of there to cover it all, but here are some things of note.

AMC's The Walking Dead unveiled a lengthy trailer for the show's fifth season.

So, some things of note. It looks like it will expand beyond the confines of Terminus, which is good because the last thing we need is another long stretch stuck in a single location. Also, it looks like we're going to find out what happened to Beth after her abduction in that mysterious car. I'm also a little troubled by the conspicuous lack of Darryl and Maggie in this trailer. The Walking Dead returns October 12th.

Sam Raimi dropped a couple of bombs during the Screen Gems panel on Friday. First, he said that he is developing an Evil Dead TV series with usual suspects Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Again, whenever news of the Deadites comes out, I always take it with a grain of salt. Remember how a while back Army of Darkness 2 was a sure thing. Well, they were quick to back pedal on that this weekend. I've always adopted a wait-and-see attitude to these sorts of things.

Sam Raimi at SDCC, pic courtesy of Rue Morgue.

Second was some news of The Last of Us film adaptation, which seems redundant, but whatever. Raimi is producing the picture, which will be written by the game's creative director Neil Druckmann. Nothing is set in stone right now, but the most promising news what they were seeking out Maisie Williams (Arya from Game of Thrones) for the role of Ellie.

Ellie?

Bioware teased their upcoming horror IP, tentatively called Shadow Realms.

You can't tell much of the game from this, but isn't it funny that we've come to the point where I'm not one-hundred percent sure whether that trailer is live action or CG.

Trailer Trash.

Here are some new horror trailers to mull over. First up, is See No Evil 2.

I never saw the first one, but the inclusion of The Soska Sisters, Danielle Harris and Katharine Isabelle means I cannot ignore this. Next, is the trailer for the bizarre little ditty The Deep Dark.

This film about a talking wall (voiced by Denise Poirier of Aeon Flux fame) is certainly intriguing, and hopefully a little more palatable than last year's similar Motivational Growth. Lastly, we have the trailer for Kevin Smith's newest project, Tusk. I must warn you though, this trailer seems to show a lot.

I love Michael Parks, so he's certainly a draw here. Also, did anyone else find the most disturbing thing about this trailer was seeing Haley Joel Osment as an adult?

Lively Update.

Hey all. I just wanted to update you on the status of Lively, as it has a couple of screenings coming up. Tonight, it plays Toronto at a place called 3030 as part of the short film showcase Come To Daddy, co-presented by Fangoria and DJ John Nicol.

And a week from today, Lively has its US premiere at the Long Beach International Film Festival in NYC, as part of its inaugural Midnight Madness Series.

It looks like a pretty cool event, so if you are in NYC and decide to attend, let me know how it went.

A Ghost In The Machine.

Sunday night saw the world premiere of Timur Bekmambetov's newest production venture Cybernatural directed by Leo Gabriadze.

An online chat between six high schoolers is interrupted by a seventh participant claiming to be a classmate that they cyber-bullied to suicide one year before. At first, they dismiss it as a sick joke, but when they start dying in front of their eyes, they realize they've no choice but to play its deadly game.

This was a fun movie. Considering that it is solely comprised of computer desktops and Skype view screens, I was surprised by how well this worked. The filmmakers have carved out a new narrative here by implementing the technology that we use everyday. Much like the J-horror invasion at the turn of the century, Cybernatural causes us to look at how vulnerable our always-connected lifestyles make us. I think this type of storytelling could really find a horror foothold, especially within the generation for which it is now second nature.

Cybernatural definitely has the potential to become a hit and I found it far more technically impressive than the Paranormal Activity flicks. I think it works better as a whole, evn if its individual set pieces are not as pronounced. I mean, there's only so much you can do with the stuttering and pixelated realities of Skype feeds.

One down, five to go.

I don't want to understate the storytelling though. Gabriadze envisioned this almost like a stage play, so everything was shot in real time with very long takes, which he then tweaked day-by-day. It's not a perfect medium, as multiple windows of characters yelling over one-another can be overwhelming, but it never – except for the Facebook wall death sequence which seemed a little over-the-top – strays from the world it creates.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Cybernatural is that it somehow circumvented copyrights. Timur must have some very good lawyers because pretty much every major online institution is represented here. It helps the production immensely because recreating an online experience on film becomes much less tangible when you see stuff like Schmoogle and MyFace. By using the real deal – these characters had Facebook walls, iTunes playlists and YouTube accounts – they successfully maintained a world that mirrored our own.

The following Q&A, befitting the film we had just watched, featured seven participants. Gabriadze and producer Adam Sidman were live on stage and Bekmambetov, writer Nelson Greaves and actors Shelley Hennig, Courtney Halverson & Moses Jacob Storm joined via Skype.

Technology!

Cybernatural is an experimental film that won't play with everyone, but if you are looking for a fresh take on a supernatural tale, then I urge you to check it out.

Frontières!

I wanted to break from the reviews for a moment to give a shout out to my good friends Serena Whitney and Justin McConnell, who are pitching their feature project, Mark of Kane to investors at this year's Off Frontières at the Fantasia Film Festival. 

They've been preparing for this opportunity for months and have some really cool materials made up to showcase their project, like this pamphlet;

My last night at Fantasia, I also finally met filmmaker Todd E. Freeman whose been a name in my Facebook feed for months now. We both have projects in the ABC's of Death 2.5 (mine of course being M is For Manure, and his being M is for Marriage) so that was a good conversation starter. He is in Montreal because he is also pitching at Frontières. He has put all the pieces together for his next feature Love Sick, he just has to find some generous investors to back it.

Love Sick starring Tristan Risk & Francisco Barreiro.

Good luck to my peeps and everyone who is throwing their ideas out there this weekend. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there like that. Hopefully, the bean counters will recognize your passion and give you all that you need to make your dreams become flesh. Who knows? Maybe I'll even be there someday...

She's A Man-Eater.

Immediately after Late Phases, was the Canadian premiere of the hot new horror comedy, Life After Beth.

While still mourning his dead girlfriend Beth (Aubrey Plaza), Zach (Dave DeHaan) discovers she is still alive & kicking, holed away in her parent's attic. After being reunited, he soon realizes that Beth isn't quite the same girl she used to be.

I found Life After Beth entertaining, but wouldn't say it was anything spectacular. A lot of the jokes were featured in the trailer, and there wasn't much more depth to the proceedings than what was glimpsed in such. I certainly see the comment made within about relationships and the difficulties of letting go, but they didn't really land for me. I guess I prefer my zombie girlfriend pictures to be of a somewhat different tone. I did, however, appreciate that the movie opened up in the third act to give us Jeff Baena's version of the zombie apocalypse. There were a good amount of gore gags – almost a given when dealing with zombie fare – but the movie, save one or two clever exceptions, played things pretty safe.

Dave DeHann & Aubrey Plaza in  Life After Beth.

To Baena's credit, he assembled an impressive ensemble for this movie. DeHaan & Plaza make a deliciously awkward couple, even before all the undead insanity starts. I liked Plaza overall, but I did find her moments of rage a little cringe-worthy, so perhaps that's not in her range. I certainly give her kudos for enduring all that zombie make-up though, not to mention having a oven strapped to her back. The cast was rounded out by an all-too-brief appearance from Anna Kendrick, as well as John C. Reilly & Molly Shannon as Beth's off-kilter parents. Matthew Gray Gubler also kills it as Zach's war-hungry brother, Kyle.

Director Jeff Baena, Plaza & Matthew Gray Gruber.

I no doubt enjoyed the experience of watching Life After Beth – and it was awesome to see the lovely Aubrey Plaza in person – but this will likely be a movie that is soon forgotten by me.

*Q&A photo courtesy of Ali Chappell.

The Wolf At Your Door.

Saturday was a long day of films, the most anticipated for me being Adrián García Bogliano's, Late Phases.

After several residents of senior community are viciously mutilated, blind war veteran Ambrose McKinley (Nick Damici) takes it upon himself to find out the cause, and stop him – or it – for good.

Bogliano's newest is a slight departure from his previous film Here Comes The Devil. Sure, they are both narratively straightforward and feature strained family relationships, but while Devil focuses on youth, this one centeres on the other side of the spectrum. Ambrose (played with crusty zeal by Damici) has basically been cast off by the world, so when the opportunity arises to go some good, he accepts, even though he is in no shape to do so. Ambrose is, in fact, a man with nothing to lose.

What Late Phases also shared with Devil was great performances. In addition to Damici, who it was good to see have a significant role away from his compatriot Jim Mickle, there were also a handful of actors I don't get to see as much as I'd prefer, like Tom Noonan and Dana Ashbrook.

Nick Damici & Tom Noonan in Late Phases.

I was excited to see Bob Kurtzman's name in the opening credits, as that meant the effects were in good hands. I really liked the creature designs in Late Phases. Most of the time when you see a werewolf movie, they are some variation of what we've seen in go-to films like An American Werewolf In London. Here, I felt like Kurtzman really tried for something unique, while also adding touches that somewhat recalled creatures from his previous work. The featured (and lengthy) transformation scene, though it does cheat with some cutaways, was well executed.

Apart from that, Late Phases isn't too flashy and is of a pace you would expect about a blind old man doing mock detective work. The bloody climax was terrific though and worth the wait.

Bogliano is steadily making a name for himself with these solid genre pieces utilizing tried-and-true formulas (rape revenge, evil children, werewolves, etc) and I'll be sure to check out any of his future projects.

Nice Beaver!

My yearly jaunt to Montreal would not be complete without a midnight screening, and this year's was the newest animal hybrid flick Zombeavers.

When a toxic waste spill turns the beaver population of a secluded lake into ravenous flesh eaters, a group of vacationing college kids must fight for their lives.

There's nothing like a Fantasia midnight screening. It really enhances a movie like this and lends so much more to the experience than just downloading and watching it on a laptop by yourself. I'm not going to purport that Zombeavers is anything but what you expect, but I did find it pretty entertaining. Paired with the Indiegogo-funded zombie kangaroo short, Waterborne, it was exactly what this midnight crowd ordered.

While I was doing some research, I found a lot of people comparing this with Sharknado, which I feel is inaccurate. It may sound weird to say this, but Zombeavers wields a fair bit more credibility than that. First of all, the majority of the beavers are puppets, rather than cheap CG, so that instantly won me over. There is some decent gore in this, with some great little set pieces that work because of the emphasis on the practical.

Zombeavers also takes itself slightly more seriously, as well. I mean, the film has every variation of the “beaver” joke imaginable, but the humour still comes off as slightly more clever than Syfy fare and their “look what impossible thing we've done now” formula. And to be clear, this isn't a creature feature where you hardly ever see the antagonists. There is plenty of beaver in this.

Lexi Atkins in Zombeavers.

That said, I certainly can't forget the three lovely ladies (Rachel Melvin, Lexi Atkins & Courtney Palm) in the picture. They spend a good chunk of the movie in bikinis – or even less in Palm's case – and will command your attention even if the subject matter does not.

This is a “just as advertised” kind of thing. If a movie about combining zombies and beavers sounds appealing to you, then step right up.

Levelling Up.

My first Fantasia film of note was Faults directed by Riley Stearns.

A down-on-his-luck cult expert named Ansel Roth (Leland Orser) is hired by a couple to deprogram their daughter Claire (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who has fallen under the influence of a mysterious cult called Faults.

Faults actually turned out to be not at all what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it a great deal. I thought the movie was going to be of the straight-up horror variety, something along the lines of The Sacrament – especially with AJ Bowen appearing in both movies – but it is more of a quirky comedy that got darker as the movie progressed. I briefly debated if I should even review it because of this, but I've always actively promoted indies that offer good character stuff, so here we are.

I am hit and miss with films that have a tonal shift, but this one works rather beautifully, mainly due to it being very gradual and buried in a strong dialogue-driven script. There's a straight-faced comedy to the delivery that I responded to immediately. If you watch Steans' 2012 short The Cub, that should give you an idea of what he's about. The air of mystery about what may or may not be going on under the surface was of real interest to me.

Leland Orser & Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Faults.

The movie hinges on the two leads and they are both excellent. I was pretty chuffed to see Leland Orser – whose made a career out of supporting roles for the last twenty-odd years – front and center in this picture. He was given a meaty role and he delivers perfectly, as does Winstead. I've been loving the work she has been doing recently, after many years of doing sequels and remakes. I hate to sound like I'm slighting the genre that I love, but after her more serious performances in 2012's Smashed and this, I feel she has really elevated her game. I also want to stress how intimate this piece is. It could've been a stage play. The meat of the picture is really the “deprogramming” exchanges between Orser and Winstead, as it is really captivating stuff.

You never know what kind of future small films on the festival circuit will have, but if you ever do come across this in your travels, and are a fan of dialogue-driven, encounter pieces, I encourage you to check this one out.

Fantasia Bound.

I'm now on my way to Montreal for Fantasia, and that makes me as happy as a...

Stay tuned, folks. My reviews should start coming in by the end of the weekend. Talk to you then.

Doc Of The Dead

During its limited run in Toronto last week, my buddy Schwartz & I took in the recent zombie documentary Doc of the Dead.

Directed by Alex O. Philippe (The People vs. George Lucas), Doc of the Dead delves into the worldwide phenomenon of the zombie.

This doc was a pretty good time. Whereas the other zombie doc I watched recently Birth of the Living Dead focused more on George A. Romero and his contributions to the genre, this one was a much more broad and all-encompassing look at the undead. It may not be as aesthetically pleasing as Birth, but its interviewees are many, including Bruce Campbell, Simon Pegg, Tom Savini and Greg Nicotero. The biggest insights, however, came from arguably the three most important figures in modern zombie culture, Romero, Robert Kirkman & Max Brooks.

Zombie godfather, George A. Romero.

There are an impressive number of things covered over the course of this doc's eighty-one minute running time, including the genre's ravenous and ever-growing fan base, the scientific, social and philosophical underpinning of the zombie as well as its origins in folklore – contrary to the literary beginnings shared by the rest of horror iconic figures. Even the heated debate between fast vs. slow zombies is discussed!

Being a fan myself, I'm obviously aware of just how pervasive zombies have become in pop culture over the last decade. The Walking Dead is the most popular show on television (save for maybe GoT), almost every city has a zombie walk event that draws hundreds or even thousands, and advertisers are now using the undead to schlep everything from phones to candy to courier services.

One of the many zombie faithful.

However, due to so many topics being offered up, Doc of the Dead did tend to meander a bit. I also thought the “comedy” skits added in for filler were pretty painful. It was only when talking about them with Schwartz afterward that I realized it was the same guy who did those elongated reviews of the Star Wars prequels a while back. Yeah, his material isn't as amusing when it doesn't involve hookers trapped in his basement. But, I digress.

Despite perhaps lacking direction, there was a lot of good stuff in there. It featured a lot of familiar genre faces and offered up some good observations about everyone's favourite flesh eaters.

Trailer Tuesdays: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Now, here is one of the true classics, folks. I bring this before you today, as the newly restored 40th anniversary presentation (overseen by Tobe Hooper) is playing Toronto - or more specifically The Royal) for six days starting this Friday.

It is unlucky timing for me, as I'll be at Fantasia for this. Unluckier still, the Montreal screening of said film with Hooper in attendance is long after I'm back home. Hopefully, it shows up near you somewhere, as this is a true example of how much more power a film can have when viewed on the big screen. It is drenched in dread throughout, and the last half hour is an audio/visual onslaught and well worth experiencing for the first, second or tenth time. Will you survive? And what will be left of you?

Videogram!

Swedish composer Magnus Sellergren aka Call Me Greenhorn is back with another album of horror-inspired synth soundscapes entitled Videogram.

Just looking at that logo should give you an idea of where Sellergren's head is at. It's a thing of beauty! You can stream the entire album by clicking the image above. If you like what you hear, show some love and plunk down seven measly dollars to make it your own!

DKTM 229

It's a rainy one today, folks. Here's what I for you this week.

Black Museum 4.5.

Before a screening of Fright Night this week, Andrea & Paul announced the remaining three lectures of The Black Museum's fourth semester. I am pretty stoked for all three, the first being a look at classroom scare PSA's from the 1940's through 1980's presented by Kier-La Janisse, a Montreal-based writer and festival programmer.

I used to love these things as a kid. I remember the ones that used to play on television, as well. Any ad that would make my mom say, “aww I hate these things” or “why do they have to keep playing these?” indicated an immediate mark of quality.

The Black Museum's other two lectures haven't been posted to the website, so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to let the cat out of the bag, but I will say that one involves a certain analog medium, and the other estrogenic art.

Horror In The Stars.

A UK-based group known as The Dorothy Collective have come up with this awesome display of horror cinema history.

It is a sky map of the stars visible from Berlin on March 4th, 1922 which happens to be the night Nosferatu was released in theatres. However, in this map, each constellation represents a significant film of the horror genre, made of the stars that appeared within it. It's a wonderful piece of film art, and you can see more of it - and the one they did for science fiction - by clicking the image below.

>.

My filmmaker friend Darryl Shaw released the trailer for his latest short film this week. Greater Than is a dark romance featuring Adam Buller as a shady passport dealer that falls for an Eastern European immigrant played by Dana Tartau. And if you look closely at around the half-minute mark you can see me stomping on the protagonist. Making movies is fun!