Shadow of the Cat (La Sombra Del Gato) – Film Review – FrightFest

Posted on September 7, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: José María Cicala

Starring: Maite Lanata, Guillermo Zapata, Mónica Antonópulos, Rita Cortese and Danny Trejo

Rating: ★★★

Emma (Maite Lanata) lives on a farm, isolated from most aspects of modern society. She has a loving father, Gato (Guillermo Zapata), and family around her and everything in her life feels idyllic. Her mother left when she was young and that has left a hole in Emma’s life. One day, when in the local town Emma discovers a phone and uses it to record videos of herself and animals to upload to the internet. Someone discovers them and leaves a comment saying Emma’s mother will be sound glad he found her. Emma, heartbroken that her father has lied to her, leaves the farm in search for her family.

This is a very strange and quirky horror film. It doesn’t focus on gore or scares but building an atmosphere of pure terror and tension. It takes you on a journey into the past of Emma’s parents and the reason Gato took her away. There’s a sinister feeling in the flashback sequences and this moves into the present day as the film progresses.

The tone changes in this film are brilliant. The first act where Emma is on the farm is full of bright colours and happy music. There’s a joyous and funny feel to everything going on. It feels that you’re not watching a horror film, but a life affirming drama about life on a farm. Then when Emma finds the phone that will change her life forever, the rain starts, thunderclaps, the light dims. It’s an instant switch that tells you everything you need to know. The shifts between the light and the dark in this film are extremely well done.

In the opening for this film there is a lot of humour, it really gets you into a false sense of security in the first part for when things go dark later. Even with this, there are little moments that hint something darker is coming and it creates a foreboding and oppressive atmosphere, slowly building tension for the second half of the film. There are a lot of very trippy sequences later on which leave you not completely sure what is going on.

The characters don’t feel very developed in this story. They take a backseat for the quirky and strange tale that is being told. It’s not a very long film and could probably do with a little more building up the characters to really make you feel for them. There are hints of this through flashbacks but just not enough. Danny Trejo is great in it, especially his dance before the final fight.

Shadow of the Cat is a strange film, but it’s definitely original. It’s an entertaining thrilling mystery that builds up nicely. It’s not doing anything spectacular but it is captivating while it lasts.  

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When The Screaming Starts – A fantastic mockumentary about an aspiring serial killer – Fright Fest

Posted on September 7, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Conor Boru

Writers: Conor Boru and Ed Hartland

Starring: Ed Hartland, Jared Rogers, Octavia Filmore, Kaitlin Reynell, Yasen Atour, Ronja Haugholt and Vår Haugholt

Rating: ★★★★

Our world is obsessed with murderers and serial killers. There is no end to the amount of real-crime documentaries or films available to watch with more being made every week. That’s what Conor Boru is satirising in When The Screaming Starts, a mockumentary that follows an aspiring serial killer before he’s committed a crime, rather than investigate it afterwards.

Aidan (Ed Hartland) is the aspiring serial killer. A documentary maker, Norman, decides to follow him around to capture something ground-breaking on camera. After his first failed attempt to murder a former bandmate, Aidan makes the decision to start a cult instead and hosts interviews alongside his girlfriend to choose people to join their family.

This is a seriously funny film. It has the humour you’d expect from a mockumentary, with a twisted darkness that you’d expect from a horror/comedy. The performances are all great. Everyone is natural and plays their roles seriously enough to highlight the deadpan comedy.

There is a lot of violence when the killing starts. It’s not too gory, but there is a lot of blood and everything effect-wise looks great. It’s shocking and intense in the best way possible. It takes a while for the violence to start, but when it does there’s no stopping it.

Aidan is an expert on serial killers, his house is filled with books about them, his walls lined with horror film posters, and he spouts off advice about what serial killers should do. When picking out his outfit he says, ‘you don’t want people thinking you’re a terrorist, when you’re a serial killer with no political affiliation’. There are tons of memorable and quotable lines.

Films like this are all about the characters and When The Screaming Starts is full of oddball characters. The main family consists of Aiden, his girlfriend who is obsessed with death, a local fishmonger who sees slicing people the same as slicing meat, repressed twins who want to let loose, a woman who is clearly unhinged and a yoga lover who joins by accident due to a language barrier. It’s a great group that work well together as the killers.

When The Screaming Starts is a fantastic, quirky and smart horror/comedy. It’s original, inspired and filled with great energy and so many laughs. This is one to look out for and if you’re a fan of the mockumentary genre, then it’s really worth going out of your way to watch. There is rumblings of a sequel/spin off and that would be perfect.

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Film Review

Posted on September 6, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Writer: Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham

Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung, Ben Kingsley, and Benedict Wong

Rating: ★★★★

Shang-Chi, created by comic legends Steve Engleheart and Jim Starlin (co-creator of Thanos and Drax), has been brought to the big screen as the next instalment to the biggest franchise of all time, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After the long awaited and very underwhelming Black Widow, it’s glad to see a great Marvel film on the big screen after what feels like an insanely long time.

Shaun (Simu Liu) is living in San Francisco, working as a valet his best friend Katy (Awkwafina). After being attacked on the bus to work one day, Shaun’s pendant is stolen and he is forced to face his past, admitting to Katy that he isn’t the person she thinks he is.

One of the best things about Shang-Chi is how well it develops and expands the Marvel universe. It ties itself in with the pre-established foundation and builds on that, making the film feel vital and not a side-episode like Ant-Man and the Wasp. The mythical place of Ta Lo is beautiful and we can only hope we will get to see more of it in the future.

Like anything Marvel touches, the effects are fantastic. Everything looks gorgeous, but would you expect anything less from them? Visually the film is stunning, the special effects and CGI are the best they can be and at this point it would be weird if they weren’t. The mythical creatures look real and absolutely nothing in the film looks out of place.

The performances are great. Simu Liu as Xu Shang-Chi/Shaun is a perfect casting role. He’s full of charisma with the goofy character he portrays at the beginning while also being completely believable as a hero. Meng’er Zhang is excellent as Xu Xialing, the menacing rope dart wielding hero.

The action and choreography is fantastic. Every fight sequence is stunning, exhilarating, and exciting. They are really shot so the action is always clear and the one-on-one fight sequences are full of tension that grabs you and doesn’t let go. The big battle at the end is also grand in scale and feels epic when you’re watching it on screen. Michelle Yeoh is great, as always in the fight sequences.

There is a lot of great comedy in the film. Every line spoken by Ben Kingsley is funny. His relationship with Morris is brilliant and one of the highlights of the film. The same with Katy (Awkwafina), a brilliant funny character that plays a vital role in the final events of the film and isn’t just left to the side as comic relief.

By the time the final battle is starting, it barely feels like any time has past since the film started. The whole story flies by without any boring moments. The pacing is brilliant with exciting scene and moment happening one after another.

Shang-Chi is the best Marvel film in a very long time. It introduces brilliant new characters, ties it in with the expansive universe without relying on cameos or a larger threat. It’s the most exciting solo Marvel film since Black Panther and it looks like there’s no sign of slowing down with the glimpses of the future in the post credit scenes (The mid-credit scene is worth waiting for, the actual post credit one, not so much).

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Are We Monsters – Film Review – FrightFest

Posted on September 6, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter
Are We Monsters - Werewolf Feature Film

Director: Seb Cox

Writers: Seb Cox and John Black

Starring: John Black, Stefan Chanyaem, Charlotte Olivia, Jathis Sivanesan and Justin Hayward

Rating: ★★★★

Seb Cox’s first feature length film, Are We Monsters, premiered at FrightFest 2021. It’s a coming-of-age tale told through a werewolf story. It’s a slowburn horror that’s light on scares but heavy with emotion. This is a truly fresh and original take on an old classic and leaves an impression once it’s over.

The most striking thing about Are We Monsters is the visuals. When the werewolves first attack in the opening scene, there is a clever use of lighting to make them shadowed and hard to see. It deflects any attention to bad effects. The guns leave sparks with every shot, the contrasts with the dark backgrounds. When we get to learn the history of the werewolves (which is really original and an interesting take on the story), it’s told through an almost hand-drawn sketch style and the big monsters that appear in the later part of the film matches this style, conflicting nicely with the live-action. The effects are original and like something out of a storybook, making this one of the most stylish films in recent years.

The performances are a bit mixed but are charming in their own way. Charlotte Olivia plays Maya a teenager who’s also a werewolf. Her mother was shot and killed by werewolf hunters. She joins with Luke (Jathis Sivanesan) who is a supposed expert and blogger on the supernatural, to find a way to tame her instincts. Two hunters (John Black and Stegan Chanyaem) who have ran out of silver bullets, and don’t have a way to replenish their supply, end up joining Luke and Maya to try and train her before the next full moon.

The delivery of the dialogue is stilted in places and doesn’t feel natural. It’s only a slight problem, because the rest of the film is filled with so much charm and atmosphere that it makes up for it. Luke and Maya play off each other really well, which may be because Jathis and Charlotte went to school together, something the director didn’t realise at first.

Through a typically horror story, Cox explores the coming of age of the two teenagers. They are both starting to break out from the parents and make a life on their own. Maya has only known a life of surviving from month to month, and since her mother has been killed has to start making decisions for herself. Luke is seriously ill and his parent’s distrust of modern medicine means he needs to start looking for alternatives. There’s a relatable story underneath the werewolf story and can be seen as a metaphor for no end of issues that are relevant to most people’s lives.

The actual design of the werewolf is incredibly unique and startling. When they first appear on screen it’s a shock. They look incredibly creepy and unsettling and if this didn’t take a more mellow approach, they could be a full on nightmare. There is a really nice mix of the horror and a really grounded story in the film that means it’s never too scary, but the images are striking and memorable.

Seb Cox has created one of the most original werewolf stories in years, one that is full of emotion, style and horror. This film grabs your attention from the opening scene and doesn’t let go and will stay with you for a long time once it’s over.

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Lair – Film Review – FrightFest

Posted on September 6, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Adam Ethan Crow

Writer: Adam Ethan Crow

Starring: Corey Johnson, Emily Haigh, Aislinn De’Ath and Alana Wallace

Rating: ★½

This year has been such a great year for horror fans. So many great ones that will go down as classics. Quite a few truly original and fresh ideas and then there’s Lair. A film that premiered at this years FrightFest, that probably shouldn’t have even been made in the first place.

This is such a terrible film. It’s full of clichés and tropes. The story barely makes sense, the twist at the end is just stupid. The characters don’t act like people. The acting is atrocious, and the dialogue is appalling. The only redeeming thing about it is that it’s so bad it’s funny, but that’s not enough to warrant watching this trash.

From the first line of dialogue spoken you know this isn’t going to be a good film. The acting is atrocious, and the writing is unbelievably bad and there are so many lines that will make you laugh. There’s a teddy bear who features prominently who does a better job at acting than any of the actual characters.

The biggest problem is that no one acts like humans. Steven Caramore (Corey Johnson) is a sceptic who makes money by conning people who believe in the paranormal. His friend Ben is imprisoned after brutally killing his family, his defence being that he was possessed. Steven dismisses this instantly, then sees a way to make money out of it so sets up a room to rent out to tourists that he can leave possessed and haunted objects in to see if they have any effect on the tourists. He flip flops from sceptic to believer, but somehow spends most of the film not believing. It’s stupid and just plain bad writing.

The family then lose their youngest daughter, when Steven left a haunted doll that the youngest becomes attached to and then he catches up with them on the street to take it back as it hasn’t had any effect. The daughter runs off causing a panic and Steven just leaves. He later turns up at the flat and offers a teddy bear to apologise. It’s strange that they felt comfortable staying there. The next day they come back and find Steven and his co-worker acting suspiciously leaving a trail of salt at the front door. They shout at them, telling them to leave, but still leave the two children in the flat alone knowing Steven can come back at any point.

There is nothing scary about what happens. The effects are horrendous and laughable at points and there is no real attempt to build terror. At the end when everything kicks off, it shows you the fallout before switching back to show you what happened. It leaves no tension, because you just saw the ending. Then the twist happens, which makes no sense at all and is there just to be shocking, but doesn’t do anything worth being there, other than padding out an already boring, dull, pointless film.

One of the plot points revolves around objects being haunted. Why does it only effect the family who are on holiday? Before the events, the haunted objects are in a storage locked in plastic tubs. Why aren’t they effecting people at the storage facility, the workers or over locker renters? Why doesn’t it effect Stephen who moves them around to try and get a reaction from the family? At the end when it’s being sold off at an auction (Spoiler alert, but just don’t watch it instead), the statue isn’t being held in any casing, it’s just on the table. Surely they would all be effected in the room?

Lair is an awful uninspired horror film that is a tiresome experience to sit through. The writing is appalling and the acting does it no favours. Avoid this at all costs.  

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