After six years, Toronto After Dark is bigger than ever. The films are better, the lines are longer and the fan-frenzy is wilder. This year’s chilling selection included: civil war zombies, creepy abductors, cliff-hanging killers, post-apocalyptic insanity and suburban hell – a sci-fi horror fan’s paradise.

Writer-director John Geddes’ Exit Humanity is a post-civil war zombie epic set in 1870’sTennessee. When his wife and son fall victim to the undead, Edward Young (Mark Gibson in a breakout performance) flees across the countryside for survival, but zombies are the least of his worries after he’s captured by a band of ruthless Confederate soldiers who are obsessed with conducting medical experiments. Geddes‘ concept of zombies in the old west is a fresh perspective on the popular genre. The film’s use of animation (a budgetary decision) advances the action excellently and the beautiful cinematography makes this a great-looking period movie. Newcomer Mark Gibson carries the film effectively and complements veteran cast members, Dee Wallace and Bill Moseley, well. Despite its technical merits, Exit Humanity is far from perfect. Geddes over-indulges in depicting his lead character’s devastation by having him scream incessantly and pounding his fists relentlessly on furniture. Brian Cox’s excessive storybook narration is tedious and the film’s snail pace will have viewers looking for the exit early.

In writer-director Mike Flanagan’s Absentia, strange abductions are being linked to a mysterious neighbourhood tunnel, which may be a portal to another dimension. Absentia has been playing the festival circuit since spring of this year and has received numerous awards for “Best Horror Feature”. Flanagan effortlessly creates tension by playing on viewers’ predetermined fear of the dark. His lead characters often find themselves walking down the unlit tunnel or staring into the darkness at the foot of their stairs. Indeed, everyone can relate to how terrifying that can be and, in Absentia, that terror comes in the form of a creepy shadowy creature with long arms. Performances by lead actresses Katie Parker and Courtney Bell are convincing as distraught sisters and Flanagan’s dialogue is funny and authentic. Unfortunately, Absentia’s payoff does not satisfy its scary build up, which will leave many horror fans in the dark.

A Lonely Place to Die is director Julian Gibey’s action-packed thriller about five mountain climbers who fight to protect a kidnapped girl from her abductors high above the Scottish mountains. Gibey (who co-wrote the movie with his bother Will) never lets up on the action. In order to escape the killers’ sniper fire, the protagonists must brave harrowing cliffs, survive dangerous rapids and swim deep water – all leading to a brutal hand to hand combat amidst a roaring chateau fire. And if that wasn’t enough, the Gibey brothers throw mercenaries-for-hire into the mix. In her first action role, Melissa George (Amityville Horror remake, 30 Days and 30 Nights) does an outstanding job. Her portrayal of Alison recalls the strong spirit of Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley, and also impressive is Sean Harris (24 Hour Party People). His calm demeanour effectively heightens his killer’s menace. A Lonely Place to Die is a must-see for adrenaline junkies.

When New York City succumbs to a nuclear attack, eight residents of a high-rise building take refuge in the basement, where they must survive something worse than radioactivity – each other. Xavier Gens’ The Divide is a gripping examination of what happens when regular people are confined together under agonizing conditions. The film stars Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens) as the cantankerous janitor, who is none too pleased to share his accommodations and limited food with the diverse group: two brothers (Milo Ventimiglia, Ashton Holmes) and their friend (Michael Ekland), a wife and husband (Lauren German, Iván González), a mother and daughter (Rosanna Arquette, Abbey Thickson) and a middle-aged man (Courtney B. Vance). Initially, they work well with each other, but then tensions flare, leading to a questionable death. And when it’s later discovered that the ill-tempered janitor is keeping a secret stash of food, hell finally breaks loose. Inevitably, the cool and collected become the enraged and savaged, and the weak become the prey. At the Q&A, Gens credited his cast for collaborating on the story and dialogue. To everyone’s credit, the characters’ interactions are authentic and the action is engrossing. Biehn gives an exceptional performance, but it’s Ventimiglia who stands out as the group’s tormentor. The Divide is a great achievement that cannot be missed.

One of the most controversial films of the year is Lucky McKee’s dark comedy The Woman – a story of a suburban husband who finds a wild woman in the woods and chains her in his storage room to domesticate her. The film’s dubious premise has sparked heated debate from viewers (and non-viewers) for its insensitivity and violence against women. McKee and Jack Ketchum’s script depicts women as submissive after years of abuse from men. This is apparent in the Cleek home, in which the women acquiesce to the patriarch’s (Sean Bridgers) selfish and inhumane whims (including domesticating a feral woman in their home). But when the man of the house tries to exact the same authority with his unwilling female houseguest, things take a bloody turn for the worse. The Woman will shock even the most hardened horror enthusiasts with its unabashed violence and mean-spirit. Thankfully, McKee and Ketchum strategically apply humour after the brutality to calm viewers’ nerves. Sean Bridgers’ performance as the father is magnificent (especially when he goes from sweet to maniacal almost instantly) and Pollyanna McIntosh’s beastly Woman is simply arresting. Lastly, the film’s indie-rock soundtrack provided by Sean Spillane is addictive (that’s why I downloaded it from iTunes shortly after seeing the film). The Woman is highly recommended — that is if you have a strong stomach.

• Nigel Hamid

Here are links to other reviews from the festival featured on our site.

Deadheads

Comedy’s already pretty tough to pull off well, and adding such a diverse mix of genres and conventions only makes it tougher. A lot of the banter and dialogue is hit or miss, but Deadheads is the kind of film where you forgive the misses because some of the hits are so great. This has to do with the actor’s performances, which are also a mixed bag. There’s a lot of good comic timing, but there are also a lot of stupid character voices. Where the film really shines, though, is in the physical comedy. It’s got a good mix of slapstick, sight gags, and the kind of gross-out humour at which zombies so excel… (read the full review)

Exit Humanity

Sure, Exit Humanity is ambitious. However, it isn’t stunning. It isn’t well-executed. It isn’t smart. It isn’t thought-provoking. It isn’t harrowing. I would have walked out, had there not been seven people between me and the aisle. I can’t say how much I hate this film, but boy did I try... (read the full review)

Father’s Day (review #1)

Written and directed by Winnipeg-based Astron-6, Father’s Day will likely bring the five man team global notoriety for their courageous guerrilla filmmaking and campy humour. The direction and editing are impressive and their funny script moves the action along superbly. The subpar acting from the supporting cast is forgivable considering that it’s a b-movie. Fans of Grindhouse, Black Dynamite and Hobo with a Shotgun will not want to miss Father’s Day… (read the full review)

Father’s Day (review #2)

Father’s Day is for anyone who’s ever rented tapes from the grindhouse section of the neighbourhood video store, stayed up past midnight watching the sketchiest channel, or smuggled I Spit on Your Grave through the Canada/US border (and yes, it had to be a video tape, and no, the store couldn’t be Blockbuster). It’s got references to grindhouse classics aplenty, but catching them isn’t necessary. This movie is a treat—one of those Halloween treats, laced with arsenic or razor blades, that your father warned you about. But fuck him… (read the full review)

Love

The fact is, Love, despite its odd title and Kubrick aspirations, is an aesthetically beautiful film. Eubank should be commended for creating something so rich with a budget so small. However, this is a film that doesn’t fulfill it’s ambitions… (read the full review)

Manborg

Manborg was made in the director’s parent’s garage and the basement of a store that sold blinds, using found materials for set decoration and models all for about $1,000. Using greenscreening and Harryhausen style miniature work, Kostanski got a lot of value for his money. If you’re looking for 60 minutes of silliness that’s exactly what it says on the tine, then you’ll get good value for your money by picking up a ticket to see Manborg… (read the full review)

Midnight Son

Midnight Son is a first rate film that will appeal to both casual and passionate vampire fans. There’s a compelling story and a lot of blood-splatter. Leberecht’s script and direction is first rate and the performances by lead actors, Kilberg and Parish, are exceptional. Indeed, Midnight Son is proof-positive that there’s still life in the vampire genre… (read the full review)

Mindnight Son (review #2)

If you can forgive some rough indie moments, then give Midnight Son a shot. It’s creepy, contemporary, and uncomfortable in all the ways a vampire movie should be… (read the full review)

Monster Brawl (review #1)

Monster Brawl is more comedy than it is horror and its gore would be tolerable for even the mildly squeamish.  Although Cook’s script shows some originality, there’s not enough to engage viewers for a feature-length film.  Furthermore, Cook’s lacklustre editing brings Monster Brawl’s action sequences to a grinding halt — sometimes long enough to call attention to its dull electronic score.  Despite Cook’s best efforts, Monster Brawl feels excruciatingly longer than its 85-minute running time… (read the full review)

Monster Brawl (review #2)

To really enjoy this film, you’ve got overlook a few flaws, like wandering accent syndrome and terrible pacing. The best way to do that, I suspect, is with a fridge full of beers and a basement full of friends. If you can overlook said flaws, Monster Brawl has some golden moments (Swamp Gut’s opening tirade is hysterical) and a great premise: in a fight with monster x versus monster y, who would win?.. (read the full review)

Redline

Watching Redline is such an incredible and surreal experience that it’ll probably be a some time before I try once more. On the plus side, if I buy the DVD, I’ll never need drugs again… (read the full review)

Some Guy Who Kills People

About halfway though Some Guy Who Kills People, I’d laughed my throat raw. Then again, I love black comedies that involve mentally damaged thirty-five year old losers with brutally violent revenge fantasies wherein they destroy their high school bullies. If you too can find humour in pain and suffering, then check out this nasty little delight… (read the full review)

The Theatre Bizarre (Review #1)

If you love horror and suffer from A.D.D. then you already agree that horror anthologies are a great way to pass the night. Films such as Creepshow, Twilight Zone: The Movie and Trick ‘r Treat have gained tremendous notoriety for their smorgasbord of terror and fast scares. The Theatre Bizarre may not be in the same league as these gems, but it’s an honourable attempt to satisfy a quick horror fix... (read the full review)

The Theatre Bizaree (Review #2)

Omnibus films tend to appeal mainly to hard-core fans and other filmmakers. That isn’t a bad thing. In the case of The Theatre Bizarre, some of horror’s nuttiest and most demented talents can be just as nutty and demented as they want. If you’re a horror fan, it’s a grab bag of treats; you’ll love some and hate others, but that’s part of the pleasure. If you’re a filmmaker, then The Theatre Bizarre is a twisted little laboratory. After all, experiments are always useful, even if they don’t always work…(read the full review)

War of the Dead

War of the Dead is exactly what it sounds like: a war. There are ambushes, running battles, holding fixed positions against the undead horde, fast escapes, infiltrations, and a final stand in a secret bunker. The vast majority of the film takes place at night, ratcheting anxiety levels up a few notches. There’s a lot of unmitigated action, but Makilaakso fends off any battle fatigue on the part of the audience by making the action both swift and varied.  I should add that these zombies don’t just lurch: they dash, they’re innumerable, and they seem to be better at problem solving than most zombies. Rather helpfully, Makilaakso’s protagonists don’t just limit themselves to shooting their enemies. War of the Dead has a lot of great little hand-to-hand sequences too. They’re short, snappy, and terribly satisfying... (read the full review)

The Theatre Bizarre

Directors:

Douglas Buck (segment The Accident)

Buddy Giovinazzo (segment I Love You)

David Gregory (segment Sweets)

Karim Hussain (segment Vision Stains)

Jeremy Kasten (framing segments)

Tom Savini (segment Wet Dreams)

Richard Stanley (segment The Mother Of Toads)

If you love horror and suffer from A.D.D. then you already agree that horror anthologies are a great way to pass the night. Films such as Creepshow, Twilight Zone: The Movie and Trick ‘r Treat have gained tremendous notoriety for their smorgasbord of terror and fast scares. The Theatre Bizarre may not be in the same league as these gems, but it’s an honourable attempt to satisfy a quick horror fix.

The film opens with a curious woman entering an abandoned theatre. Inside, she sees a human-sized puppet (Udo Kier) summoning her to the front of the stage. After she dutifully complies, the puppet begins his eerie marionette show, which introduces all six of the film’s bizarre tales.

Director Richard Stanley’s Mother of Toads follows the story of a couple travelling in the French Pyrenees, where they meet a seemingly frail old woman, who offers to share her town’s secrets. As a budding anthropologist, Martin (Shane Woodward) can’t pass up the opportunity, but his girlfriend Karina (Victoria Maurette) would rather spend the day at the spa. Their trusting nature would turn out to be their downfall after the old woman reveals her deadly amphibian alter-ego. Mother of Toads is a weak opener to the film. The story is uninspiring, the pace is slow and the protagonists are dull. And unless you’re terrified of toads, you will scarcely feel a chill.

Director Buddy Giovinazzo’s I Love You thankfully picks up the pace. A paranoid husband is devastated when his disillusioned wife tells him that she’s running off with another man. Desperate to hold onto her affections, he showers her with I love you’s and begs for another chance. But her mind is made up. After pity sex, she permanently severs the relationship by coldly recounting her frequent infidelities. Later, a knock at the door signals the arrival of her lover. As he watches them drive away at the window, the husband’s heartbreak quickly turns to hysteria. Did his wife and her lover really leave together or is that really blood on his hands? Giovinazzo’s excellent script is delightfully brought to life with the electrifying performances by lead actors Andre Hennicke and Suzan Anbeh. But this is a horror-anthology, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that this soap-opera – filled with drama, sex and betrayal – ends very badly for everyone.

Director Tom Savini’s Wet Dreams centres on Donnie, a cheating husband, who suffers from having violent nightmares against his innocent wife, Carla (played by scream queen Debbie Rochon). Despite regular meetings with his therapist (Savini in a cameo role), his dreams continue to get more torturous and out of control. But Carla isn’t so innocent after all, and when she has dreams of her own, things quickly go awry for Donnie. Wet Dreams is a dreadful story that sadly stalls the wonderful momentum created by I Love You.

Director Douglas Buck’s The Accident is an engaging featurette about a young girl who must confront the realities of death after she witnesses a dying motorist at the side of a road. Buck’s story has the child come to an epiphany after asking her mother a series of innocent but relevant questions in the car. The Accident plays like a gruesome fairy tale.

The squeamish should avoid Director Karim Hussain’s Vision Stains at all costs. A woman (Kaniehtiio Horn) kills unsuspecting homeless people for the purpose of stealing their memories and writing their biography. How she acquires their memory will shock many. Using a syringe, she extracts the fluid from their dead eye and injects it into her own. The chilling operation causes the girl to convulse uncontrollably as she sees their entire life flash before her. But curiosity gets the best of her after she extracts the fluid from a pregnant mother’s fetus, which has evil plans of its own. Vision Stains’ cringe-factor may be high with each succeeding eye puncture, but unfortunately its payoff isn’t nearly as penetrating.

Director David Gregory’s Sweets is a strange and perverse tale of a couple exploring their fetish of incorporating sugar and sex. During their happier days, Estelle (Lindsay Goranson) and Greg (Guildford Adams) gorged on cake, cookies and ice cream while in the heat of passion, but Estelle wants to break up and Greg can’t cope. He cries incessantly and when she can’t take it anymore, she takes him back…on one bitter condition. Sweets is a strange selection to close this anthology. Save for the hilarious performance by Adams, there’s nothing memorable about it – just empty calories.

Theatre Bizarre’s finale brings us back to the abandoned theatre, wherein our favourite puppet has one last twisted surprise for his female guest – a fitting conclusion for an inconsistent anthology.

Nigel Hamid

Midnight Son

Directed by Scott Leberecht

Written by Scott Leberecht

2011, USA

Jacob (Zak Kilberg) is a hapless security guard who works the graveyard shift in a downtown office building. He burns severely when he comes in contact with sunlight, he can’t feed his growing appetite despite binge eating, and his eyes turn yellow during sexual intimacy. His doctor believes he is anaemic, but Jacob has another distressing theory. Writer-director Scott Leberecht’s Midnight Son is a fresh and engaging take on the already tired and overcrowded vampire genre.

Much to his credit, Leberecht wisely avoids the typical vampire lore and rewrites all the rules: there are no bats or coffins, Jacob has a mirror reflection, and his canines are not peculiarly long. In fact, the film pokes fun at these conventions when Jacob reluctantly places a crucifix against his forehead and chuckles after it has no harmful effects.

Leberecht bases his story firmly in reality – preferring to treat Jacob’s affliction like a virus, which shows outward signs of drug-dependency. And like a common junkie, Jacob resorts to buying bags of blood from an unscrupulous hospital orderly (Jo D. Jonz) in alleys. Except for one moment of weakness, Jacob refuses to be controlled by his blood thirst. It’s as if he wants to hold on to whatever humanity he’s got left, which is precisely why the film leans more towards a coming of age story rather than a direct Nosferatu kin.

In vampire films, female protagonists often fall helplessly for their vampire’s dark allure – quite the opposite in Midnight Son. Jacob’s new girlfriend Mary (Maya Parish) is largely drawn to his frailty and his talent for painting sunsets. It just so happens that every time they get physically close, Jacob’s newly acquired vampire traits pull them apart.

Midnight Son is a first rate film that will appeal to both casual and passionate vampire fans. There’s a compelling story and a lot of blood-splatter. Leberecht’s script and direction is first rate and the performances by lead actors, Kilberg and Parish, are exceptional. Indeed, Midnight Son is proof-positive that there’s still life in the vampire genre.

Nigel Hamid

Father’s Day

Directed by Adam Brooks and Jeremy Gillespie

Written by Steven Kostanski and Adam Brooks

2011, Canada

Every once in a while a special film comes along that inspires and uplifts a generation. Troma’s latest production, Father’s Day, is not one of those films. It’s sick, depraved, exploitative, ultra-violent and outright offensive. One cannot help but wonder what kind of demented mind(s) would create such unspeakable mayhem. Even worse, what unruly souls would take pleasure in viewing its wickedness. These sentiments represent the majority of the movie-going public and mostly I would tend to agree, but in light of the obvious fact that the film’s debasement is tongue-in-cheek and a bold homage to 80’s grindhouse, I’ll give it an enthusiastic pass.

A sadistic predator is assaulting and mutilating defenseless fathers and, unfortunately, the city’s only hope is Ahab (Adam Brooks), a bumbling, leather-clad, eye-patched vigilante, who is joined by his stripper sister (Amy Groening), a conflicted priest (Matthew Kennedy) and a male hustler (Conor Sweeney). As the body count mounts and the villainy turns supernatural, Ahab is not only forced to fight his old nemesis but his personal daddy issues.

As mentioned, Father’s Day isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and anyone who’s familiar with the Troma brand will understand why. Their films (Toxic Avenger, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead) are typically made for shock value — often glorifying sexuality, gore and violence. Father’s Day follows their infamous code to the letter. The film showcases gratuitous female and male nudity, acts of cannibalism and countless body dismemberments. Troma’s co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, who also makes a cameo appearance as God and Satan, is undoubtedly proud.

Written and directed by Winnipeg-based Astron-6, Father’s Day will likely bring the five man team global notoriety for their courageous guerrilla filmmaking and campy humour. The direction and editing are impressive and their funny script moves the action along superbly. The subpar acting from the supporting cast is forgivable considering that it’s a b-movie. Fans of Grindhouse, Black Dynamite and Hobo with a Shotgun will not want to miss Father’s Day.

Nigel Hamid

Toronto After Dark – October 20-27 – Visit the official website.

Monster Brawl

Directed by Jesse T. Cook

Written by Jesse T. Cook

2011, Canada

Last night, writer/director Jesse T. Cook had the honour of being the first Canadian filmmaker to open the Toronto After Dark Film Festival with his smackdown horror-comedy Monster Brawl.

In the spirit of pay-per-view wrestling and the Mortal Kombat video game, Monster Brawl brings some of the most iconic monsters together for no other reason than to bludgeon them in the ring.  In addition to Frankenstein and the Wolfman, the brawlers include: the Mummy, Zombie Man, Cyclops, Lady Vampire, Swamp Gut and Witch Bitch — all of whom harbour grudges and talk smack to the camera.

To say that Monster Brawl is a fanboy’s dream come true is an understatement.  Cook guarantees his film’s mass appeal simply by fusing together several popular genres: horror, wrestling and gaming.  Moreover, he assembles an eclectic cast to further excite his niche audience: cult-favourite Lance Hendrickson (Alien series) stars as the Mortal Kombat-esque narrator; pro-wrestling manager Jimmy Hart is the announcer; Mixed Martial Arts referee Herb Dean cameos as himself and Canadian wrestler Robert Maillet plays Frankenstein.  However, it’s Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall) and Art Hindle (Black Christmas) who particularly stand out as Buzz Chambers and Sasquatch Sid — the veteran sports commentators.

Monster Brawl is more comedy than it is horror and its gore would be tolerable for even the mildly squeamish.  Although Cook’s script shows some originality, there’s not enough to engage viewers for a feature-length film.  Furthermore, Cook’s lacklustre editing brings Monster Brawl’s action sequences to a grinding halt — sometimes long enough to call attention to its dull electronic score.  Despite Cook’s best efforts, Monster Brawl feels excruciatingly longer than its 85-minute running time.

Nigel Hamid

Toronto After Dark – October 20-27 – Visit the official website.

“Six adds new life to the traditional ‘kidnap and torture’ genre that we’ve previously seen in such films as Hostel or Martyrs.”

The Human Centipede: First Sequence

Directed by Tom Six

Every once in a while a film comes along that pushes the boundaries of blood and torture unlike anyone has ever seen.  When that happens, it isn’t long before another film arrives that pushes the limits yet again.  Now with the introduction of Director Tom Six’s creepy The Human Centipede: First Sequence, it makes one wonder what gloriously sick cinematic incarnations will follow.

While on their European vacation, two American girls (Ashley C. Williams & Ashlynn Yennie) are forced to seek refuge from the rain when their car breaks down somewhere in Germany.  After trekking through the wet woods, they come across an isolated villa where they meet their “saviour” – retired surgeon Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser).  After short and awkward pleasantries, the girls are quickly drugged and restrained in Heiter’s basement along with an unknown Japanese male (Ahihiro Kitamura).  Unfortunately for them, they become a part of Heiter’s insane medical fantasy that involves surgically melding their bodies together to transform them into (you guessed it) the human centipede.  But that’s only the beginning.  Permanently hobbled and stitched together from mouth to rectum, the trio must endure their physical horror and work together to fight against their mad creator.

Without a doubt, The Human Centipede is one of the most twisted and perverted films to come along in recent memory.  It’s also one of the most thrilling and inventive.  Believe it or not, as demented as the story sounds, there is very little blood and gore on screen.  Writer-director Six expertly suggests much of the film’s terror.  This is especially evident when Heiter preps for the operation.  He uses a pen to mark where his incisions will be made, but we never see him cut.   In fact, much of the shock is left to the imagination, which can often yield creepier results.

Six adds new life to the traditional ‘kidnap and torture’ genre that we’ve previously seen in such films as Hostel or Martyrs.  He laces the atrocities in the film with so much dark humour, it’s as if we are being treated to a 3-ring circus with the human centipede as the main attraction — and much like a lion tamer, we are mesmerised by Heiter’s attempts to domesticate his new pet.

Dieter Laser’s performance as the eccentric and maniacal Dr. Heiter is a big reason for The Human Centipede’s success.  In lesser hands, Heiter may have turned out to be another morose psychopath like Saw’s Jigsaw, but Laser isn’t afraid to camp it up and have fun with the character.  His intense stares and deadpan delivery are chuckle-inducing, but it’s his glee for his centipede that’s outright entertaining.

The Human Centipede: First Sequence deserves to be everyone’s guilty pleasure.

- Nigel Hamid

“The Last Exorcism offers ample scares and twists; horror fans will be rejoicing in theatre aisles…”

The Last Exorcism

Directed by Daniel Stamm

After 5 years, the Toronto After Dark Film Festival held its very first red carpet,  premiering Eli Roth’s production of The Last Exorcism – a highly engaging, tension-filled horror film that is bound to shock audiences.

Troubled Southern evangelist Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) is ashamed of his involvement in fleecing fanatical believers from their money by performing fake exorcisms.  In an effort to ease his conscience and expose the deceptions of exorcisms, he confesses his tricks of the trade to documentary filmmakers – even going so far as inviting them to shoot his last exorcism deep in the heart of Louisiana.  But Cotton’s plans take a turn for the worse when he and his film crew unexpectedly confront a merciless demon hiding behind the soul of an innocent young girl (Ashley Bell).

It’s incredible how terrifying horror films can be when shot in shaky cinema-vérité style using low-tech film equipment.  The raw and unpolished film appearance certainly adds to the creep factor.  This is true for horror canons such as Blair Witch Project, REC and Paranormal Activity, and it’s true for The Last Exorcism.  Director Daniel Stamm’s documentary-style filmmaking effectively blurs the line between fact and fiction and brings a story that looks so authentic it’s unnerving.

Like the aforementioned films, The Last Exorcism is shot entirely from the perspective of a handheld camera, which helps elicit audience anxiety when a frantic cameraman struggles to keep the action in frame.  Co-writers Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland put a new spin on a traditional story by having the possessed girl hijack the camera to secretly record her brutal acts of violence against a family pet (if it doesn’t already, The Last Exorcist’s poster should come with a warning label for cat lovers).

The leads, Fabian and Bell, deliver a riveting performance that is sure to garnish them much Hollywood attention.  Fabian plays the preacher with so much gusto and charm, you instantly like him – forgetting that his character is after all a hypocritical con artist.  Bell is sensational as the possessed Nell Sweetzer; her ability to seamlessly transform from a sweet farm girl into a mischievous demon is thrilling.  Even more impressive is that Bell portrays the demon without any make-up or CGI. The Last Exorcism offers ample scares and twists; horror fans will be rejoicing in theatre aisles.

Nigel Hamid

“Doghouse is proof positive that the Brits are cornering the market of entertaining horror-comedies…”

Doghouse

Directed by Jake West

Director Jake West’s British horror-comedy Doghouse is an absolutely exhilarating gore-fest.  Two parts Shaun of the Dead and one part Hangover, Doghouse is a recipe that horror fans should devour.

When Vince’s (Snatch’s Stephen Graham) marriage collapses, five of his buddies attempt to cheer him up by taking him to a remote village where the women outnumber the men three to one.  Determined to sever contact from their bitter wives, Neil (Severance’s Danny Dyer) confiscates everyone’s cell phone and hides them away.  Their objective?  Drown Vince’s sorrows at the local pub and take pleasure in the feminine hospitality, but things go horribly awry when the town’s women turn out to be homicidal, bloodthirsty zombies.  Suddenly, our friends must use their sharp wit and MacGyver ingenuity to escape their hell and return to their normal hell back home.

Screenwriter Dan Schaffer depicts his characters as loud and obnoxious philanderers – a bold move for a horror-comedy because if audiences are not emotionally invested in the characters, they couldn’t care less for who lives and who dies.  This often spells doom for a horror movie’s success, but Schaffer effectively generates their likability through their affection for one another (and of course their antics) so we can still root for them.

James Ryman’s creature concepts and Karl Derrick’s make-up effects are extraordinary.  Each zombie woman’s personality is magnificently realized through costume, make-up and movement.  Some of the zombies include: The Snipper – a hideous hair stylist who shears her victims with pairs of long sharp scissors, The Bride – a gory axe wielding she-devil, The Dominatrix – a leather clad monster with an incredibly huge sword, and Bubbles – the obese, finger-eating housewife.  Schaffer amps up the tension when these women chase, torture and bludgeon some of their victims (not all the guys come away unscathed); however, much of the film’s charm is its constant flow of dark humour. Despite the threat that the zombie women pose, our oversexed chauvinists still can’t resist objectifying them.

Doghouse is proof positive that the Brits are cornering the market of entertaining horror-comedies (see Severance, The Cottage and Shaun).  Hopefully, with the success of Zombieland, this hidden British gem will find its way to North American audiences soon.

Nigel Hamid

Visit the official website for Toronto After Dark

The Last Lovecraft

Directed by Henry Saine

Last night, the 2010 Toronto After Dark Film Festival kicked off, and much to the delight of horror fans, this year’s selection offers a healthy dose of aliens, ninjas, mad scientists, zombies and. of course, castrations.  Needless to say, conservative movie goers will stay clear of the Bloor Cinema this week.

The festival opened with this year’s Slamdance hit The Last Lovecraft – a film best described as a buddy-horror-comedy.  As the last descendant of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, office nerd Jeff must safeguard the precious Relic of Cthulhu and team up with his geek friends, Charlie and Paul, to thwart a cult group’s evil plan to resurrect a prehistoric god who is bent on destroying humanity.  Writer-producer & co-star Devin McGinn sets his sights on creating a hilarious monster epic, but the convoluted plot, measly laughs and low budget relegates Lovecraft to the realm of uninspiring schlock.

For a horror-comedy to succeed, it must generate ample amounts of laughter and frights.  This is why recent films such as Zombieland, Dead Snow and Severance have become cult favourites.  In Lovecraft, the jokes are sparse, eliciting nothing more than the occasional chuckle.  Beyond an old women telling her grandson to fuck off and a sea captain recounting his terror of being raped by fish, there’s little in the comedy department.  As for horror, first time director Henry Saine couldn’t make a toddler cry.  The death sequences are poorly executed and clichéd.  It’s as if Saine dusted off a paint-by-numbers guide to shooting death scenes and followed it religiously: cue scary music, person hears screams outside, victim pounds bloody hands on window, person panics, person gets devoured – end scene.  This is forgivable for an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark, but for a feature film, expectations are much higher.

When shot from a distance and in the dark, the monster effects in Lovecraft are average at best, but up close and properly lit, the texture of the creatures bare an uncanny likeness to durable plastic.  Still, there’s plenty of pig intestines and blood to please gorehounds.

Lovecraft’s redeeming quality is the buddy relationship between the lead characters (played by McGinn, Kyle Davis and Barak Hardley).  Their socially awkward interactions and love for all things geeky are occasionally amusing, but it’s Captain Olaf (Gregg Lawrence) who steals the show with his outrageous sea tales (it’s too bad his character wasn’t a focal part of the film).

Lovecraft ends with a set up for a possible sequel, which Saine himself explained is forthcoming once the film sells 60, 000 units on video.  That should give the producers of Lovecraft plenty of time to improve on their lackluster first-outing.

- Nigel Hamid

Visit the official website for Toronto After Dark

“It’s hard to pigeonhole Symbol in any particular genre, but I would best describe it as a live-action Looney Tunes cartoon on crack.”

Symbol

Directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto

While watching Symbol, for a fleeting moment I wondered if someone had slipped something in my drink or sprinkled an illicit substance on my popcorn.  What else would explain the onslaught of bizarre comedic sequences that penetrated my senses?  But my euphoric trip wasn’t induced by any hallucinogen.  No, that honor goes to the crazed yet brilliant mind of writer-director Hitoshi Matsumoto.

Symbol opens in the middle of the Mexican desert with a mysterious luchador (a masked wrestler) sitting motionless at a kitchen table.  Before he even utters a word, we are quickly thrust into a large white room where a Japanese man (played by Matsumoto, who dons a Moe Howard-Three Stooges wig) in pyjamas wakes up to discover he’s being held captive.  Both stories are seemingly unrelated and run concurrently in the film.

Matsumoto’s opus takes a turn for the strange when the Japanese man notices an odd phallic object protruding from the bright white wall.  Upon careful examination, he reluctantly pushes the tip, which unleashes a horde of nude cherub-like babies reaching out from the walls and then settling back into the foundation, leaving only their tiny penises exposed.  With little else to do, the prisoner decides to push one of the many protrusions surrounding him.  To his amazement, a pink toothbrush is suddenly jettisoned from the wall and falls to the floor.  Confused, the man continues to push each protrusion to reveal a rope, chop sticks, sushi, a vase, a plunger, an African sprinter and numerous other objects — all of which, the incarcerated gentleman ultimately uses in an attempt to escape his jail.  As these peculiar events unfold for the pyjama-clad prisoner, so do the events that bring the masked wrestler closer to the fight of his career.

It’s Matsumoto’s performance as the hapless captive that successfully steers the film, which could have been a dull experiment had his comedic timing been off.  Matsumoto’s direction is also solid as both narratives are seamlessly told independently from one another only to converge wonderfully at the end.

It’s hard to pigeonhole Symbol in any particular genre, but I would best describe it as a live-action Looney Tunes cartoon on crack.  Don’t bother to look for any poignant message on the war in the Middle-East or the frailty of the human condition.  Matsumoto’s sophomoric film is just a quick fix to help us forget these harsh realities.  Now isn’t that a high we could all use?

- Nigel Hamid

“This kind of assertion gets thrown around too much, but The Revenant has a real shot of becoming a cult classic. It has enough gore and violence to satisfy the horror set, but it also has a sharp wit, a surprising heart, and a unique story.”

The Revenant

Directed by Kerry Prior

Undead horror has had an unprecedented revival in recent years. Zombie fever has proved surprisingly resilient, and the recent vampire craze shows no signs of abating. It’s easy to become cynical about the sheer amount of zombie and vampire entertainment going into production, but amidst the glut of sub-par cash-ins, some truly original films have managed to find an audience. If there’s any justice in this world, The Revenant will be one of them.

The film opens at our protagonist Bart’s (David Anders) funeral, where distressed family and friends gather to mourn. In attendance is the central cast: loud-mouth best friend  Joey (Chris Wylde), girlfriend Janet (Louise Griffiths), and Janet’s Wiccan friend Matti (Jacy King). The three share some drinks, Janet and Joey share a night of passionate remorse, and Bart wakes up in his coffin. The film that follows is hard to categorize. With its mix of dark comedy and genre reverence, it shares a common bond with 2004′s Shaun of the Dead, but The Revenant plays more like a twisted comic-book origin tale than a horror film.

This is in part because its approach to horror is so unique. Bart may wake up dead, but he’s the same person he always was, with no impaired brain function, insatiable flesh craving or glam outfits. And what is most immediately refreshing about Revenant is the fact that writer/director Kerry Prior doesn’t feel the need to label Bart’s affliction. The obligatory research is done upon Bart’s return, and the creature Bart most resembles is definitely a vampire, but only a very few of the established rules apply. As such, there’s no baggage that comes with Bart’s story–it’s not a vampire tale, it’s a Bart tale. And the sense of discovery and surprise the film derives from this ends up being one of its greatest assets.

It wouldn’t be fair to go into specifics, but over the course of the film, Bart grows into a hero of sorts. What’s particularly satisfying about the transition is how natural it feels; Bart is just a good guy, and faced with some new problems, he simply chooses a morally conscionable route. This is no Boondock Saints–though there is some top-notch lampooning of that film– as the story is really about Bart discovering what he is and simply coming to terms with it. The central theme here is power, how it changes us, and the toll it takes.

Above all, though, The Revenant is hilarious. David Anders and Chris Wylde both turn in great performances that give their characters depth while keeping the audience in stitches. Griffiths and King aren’t given nearly as much to do, but they both hold their own. There’s also plenty of horror-comedy here, including a truly inspired severed head scene and a brutal spat between Bart and Joey that is nothing short of transcendent. The film handles dramatic scenes surprisingly well, balancing the serious and light admirably, but it’s brilliant when it manages to hide a serious moment under layers of sight gags and profanity. The special-effects deserve special mention as well. It looks like Kerry Prior has an effects background, and it definitely shows in the presumably low-budget magic his team worked here.

This kind of assertion gets thrown around too much, but The Revenant has a real shot of becoming a cult classic. It has enough gore and violence to satisfy the horror set, but it also has a sharp wit, a surprising heart, and a unique story. If you’re feeling a bit of undead malaise, here’s your cure.

Nigel Hamid

Originally screened at Fantastic Fest 2009.

Written by Nigel Hamid

This holiday season, when the weather outside is frightful, instead of curling up inside watching wholesome Christmas movies such as It’s a Wonderful Life or A Miracle on 34^{th Street, consider these frightening alternatives to jingle your bells.}

^{All Through the House}

^{In the 1972 horror anthology, Tales from the Crypt, a bitter housewife (Joan Collins) cracks her husband’s skull open for Christmas, but before she can make it look like an accident to collect on the insurance money, a homicidal Santa Claus interrupts her plans. The other stories in Tales from the Crypt are as predictable as they are dull.  The film’s only redeeming feature is All Through the House, which kicks off the anthology series, but sadly runs barely over 10 minutes.  Collins plays the femme fatale/damsel in distress convincingly, and her terror is what drives the film’s tension.  Despite being obviously dated, All Through the House is still a solid thriller with a couple of good scares.}

^Sheitan

^{In Sheitan, 4 clubbers accept a young girl’s invitation to her farm after a rowdy Christmas Eve night in Paris.  There, they meet Joseph, the overzealous and racist farmhand (played delightfully by Vincent Cassell), who welcomes them with open arms, but has sinister plans in store.  Writer-director Kim Champiron takes his sweet time disturbing audiences with an assortment of depravities, such as incest and bestiality.  Just when you think something horrific is going to happen, Champiron’s original script jerks you around a little longer before delivering the ghastly goods.  Finally, when we’re introduced to the family’s strange collection of dismembered dolls, Joseph’s sinister plan for the kids becomes abundantly clear and the pay off is both shocking and amusing.}

^{Silent Night, Deadly Night}

^{Santa Claus takes “naughty or nice” to new levels when he goes on a killing spree on Christmas Eve.  After little Billy is traumatized seeing a killer dressed as Santa Claus massacre his parents, he develops more than just an aversion to Old Saint Nick – he sees blood.  When a nun forces him to sit on Santa’s lap, Billy violently attacks him.  The events take a turn for the worse when an adult Billy finds himself wearing the Santa suit and goes insane, slaughtering every naughty person he can find.  So is the premise of Silent Night, Deadly Night – the controversial 1984 film which was pulled from theatres for its sadistic representation of a child’s icon.  Although the film has its share of macabre killings, it’s comical to see ruthless nuns force Santa Claus on a boy who is clearly devastated.  Interestingly, Silent Night, Deadly Night was only protested for tarnishing Santa’s reputation and not the Catholic Church.  Indeed, these nuns require a course in sensitivity – but I digress.  Silent Night, Deadly Night is a guilty pleasure that should appear on your holiday viewing wish list.}

^{Santa’s Slay}

^{Professional wrestler Bill Goldberg dons the red suit to play a nasty Santa consumed with killing everyone from carollers to strippers in the comedy-horror Santa’s Slay.  The pandemonium quickly starts when the film opens with Santa crashing a family dinner (James Caan, Fran Dresher and Chris Kattan make cameos) and killing everyone using a Christmas tree star and turkey leg as his weapons of destruction.  As legend would have it, Santa is free to pillage and plunder after 1000 years of bringing joy to children, and the only ones who can save the day are a teenage couple and an old man.  Goldberg’s Santa is more terminator than jolly and his delivery is superb.  Director David Steinman’s script is packed with enough sly one-liners and hilarious kills (before Santa impales someone with a stripper pole, he’s conscientious enough to spray it with disinfectant to avoid germs) to make Santa’s Slay a perfect stocking stuffer.}

^{Inside (AKA À l’intérieur)}

^{Without a doubt, there are few horror films more vicious or bloodier than Alexandre Bustillo’s Inside – a film that should come with a warning label specific to mothers.  4 months after suffering a near fatal car crash, a widowed and pregnant Sarah (Alysson Paradis) is home alone on Christmas Eve night when she is disrupted by a strange woman (Béatrice Dalle) at the door.  When Sarah refuses to let the woman in to make a phone call, the stranger reveals that she knows her husband is dead.  Scared for her life, Sarah calls the police, however the woman is no where to be found.  Sarah then retires to bed, but is suddenly awakened to find the woman piercing her pregnant belly with a pair of large scissors.  The events that follow result in so much bloodshed and butchery, it’s enough to make any seasoned horror-fan wince in discomfort.  Dalle is brilliant as the deranged woman bent on killing everyone who stands in her way of getting to Sarah’s unborn child.  Her villainess rivals most cinematic villains in recent memory.  Lately French horror has pushed boundaries further than most people care to venture (High Tension, Martyrs and Frontière(s) to name a few) and Inside is proof of that.  It’s hard to recommend this film to just anybody, but if slaughter and mayhem is your delight, then Inside comes gift wrapped for you.}

^{Black Christmas}

^{An escaped mental patient harbours himself in a sorority house and kills unsuspecting girls without detection in Bob Clark’s Black Christmas – a film that inspired such horror classics as When a Stranger Calls and Halloween with its clever phone plotline and killer’s point-of-view.  Before there was a Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees, there was Billy, a sexually-repressed psychopath who gets his kicks prank calling sorority girls and making lurid comments before murdering them.  Despite being over 35 years old, Black Christmas lives up to today’s horror standards with its perfect blend of sexual witticisms and quick kills.  The film boasts an impressive cast (especially for an independent Canadian production), which includes Olivia Hussey (Romeo and Juliet), Keir Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey) and John Saxon (Enter the Dragon), but it’s a then unknown Margot Kidder who steals the show with her brash sauciness.  Black Christmas is evidence that you don’t need buckets of blood to scare audiences. Clark’s subtle camera work and creepy dialogue provide plenty of tense-filled moments and his abrupt climax make Black Christmas mandatory viewing for horror aficionados.}

Directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto

While watching Symbol, for a fleeting moment I wondered if someone had slipped something in my drink or sprinkled an illicit substance on my popcorn.  What else would explain the onslaught of bizarre comedic sequences that penetrated my senses?  But my euphoric trip wasn’t induced by any hallucinogen.  No, that honor goes to the crazed yet brilliant mind of writer-director Hitoshi Matsumoto.

Symbol opens in the middle of the Mexican desert with a mysterious luchador (a masked wrestler) sitting motionless at a kitchen table.  Before he even utters a word, we are quickly thrust into a large white room where a Japanese man (played by Matsumoto, who dons a Moe Howard-Three Stooges wig) in pyjamas wakes up to discover he’s being held captive.  Both stories are seemingly unrelated and run concurrently in the film.

Matsumoto’s opus takes a turn for the strange when the Japanese man notices an odd phallic object protruding from the bright white wall.  Upon careful examination, he reluctantly pushes the tip, which unleashes a horde of nude cherub-like babies reaching out from the walls and then settling back into the foundation, leaving only their tiny penises exposed.  With little else to do, the prisoner decides to push one of the many protrusions surrounding him.  To his amazement, a pink toothbrush is suddenly jettisoned from the wall and falls to the floor.  Confused, the man continues to push each protrusion to reveal a rope, chop sticks, sushi, a vase, a plunger, an African sprinter and numerous other objects — all of which, the incarcerated gentleman ultimately uses in an attempt to escape his jail.  As these peculiar events unfold for the pyjama-clad prisoner, so do the events that bring the masked wrestler closer to the fight of his career.

It’s Matsumoto’s performance as the hapless captive that successfully steers the film, which could have been a dull experiment had his comedic timing been off.  Matsumoto’s direction is also solid as both narratives are seamlessly told independently from one another only to converge wonderfully at the end.

It’s hard to pigeonhole Symbol in any particular genre, but I would best describe it as a live-action Looney Tunes cartoon on crack.  Don’t bother to look for any poignant message on the war in the Middle-East or the frailty of the human condition.  Matsumoto’s sophomoric film is just a quick fix to help us forget these harsh realities.  Now isn’t that a high we could all use?

Nigel Hamid

The Dark Hour

Directed by Elio Quiroga

Any attempt to unearth hidden meaning behind Spain’s Sci-Fi thriller The Dark Hour would simply give it too much credit. While watching this film, it becomes glaringly obvious that writer-director Elio Quiroga heavily borrows visuals and themes from the Alien franchise, but fails miserably to evoke the same tension.

After an apocalyptic war forces a group of eight people to live in an underground installation, they must not only contend with each other, but a diseased community known as the Strangers and their ominous cousins, called the Invisibles.

Like the Alien movies, Quiroga’s protagonists barricade themselves in claustrophobic hangers, run down dark narrow hallways with lights affixed to their weapons, use the creatures to off their human adversaries and involve themselves in a cat and mouse chase at the end.  The similarities are astounding.  Even the cold tones of Ángel Luis Fernández’s cinematography recall the isolation of Ridley Scott’s opus.

There isn’t a solitary frightening moment in the Dark Hour, which is a huge upset for a film in this genre.  The Strangers are as frightening as someone masquerading as a ghost under a white sheet ,and the CGI-laden Invisibles are laughable cartoons.  But the Dark Hour isn’t only hobbled by its low production values; it also suffers from Quiroga’s weak script, marred with too many dull moments and senseless exposition from its unmemorable characters.

If Alien hadn’t existed, I might have thought that the Dark Hour had some redeeming qualities, but then again, if Alien didn’t exist, there’s be no Dark Hour to discuss.

Nigel Hamid