Category: GFF strand – FrightFest

Really fun zombie comedy. A family of grifters manage to turn the zombie apocalypse to their advantage.

The Mortuary Collection is a horror anthology, with 4 short stories told by the undertaker to a prospective new recruit. Clanchy Brown plays a Tall Man-type character, a looming Lurch with a gorgeously ominous voice.

Side bar: How old is Clancy Brown now? Coz I would still ride him til my fanny got scorch marks.

Each of the short stories vary in tone and tightness. Some are concise and punchy. Some are longer and wind up more tension or humour. The last one is the best.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Thoroughly enjoyable possession romp. Good dose of humour. A hoax exorcist becomes real and goes viral.

Class Frightfest shorts. Live Forever is a wee sing-along about dying in horror films, really fun.

Cubicle is a little horror short set entirely within a bathroom cubicle. Loved it. Really effective with very little.

Ok, so Death of a Vlogger is a zero budget, no name, passion project made by a bunch of 20-year old pals in their flat. That being understood, it’s really fucking good.

It really makes you wonder at what can be accomplished with skill alone. It’s basically shot on a phone, webcam, and fairly standard video camera. There is no CGI. And yet, I let out more shrieks in the cinema than I have in a long time. Because what they do have is a sense of timing, an understanding of their angles, and good use of light. In some ways for a film about the high-tech world, this reminded me of the classic scare techniques of early horror films.

Death of a Vlogger is a meta found footage mockumentary. And there is no series of words I could write which could make you lose interest more, but seriously, it is actually good. It takes these modern tropes, marries it to a examination of toxic internet cultures, and channels it through low-fi classic horror film shots. The end result is really impressive.

It was also really fun to see local locations in the movie, like the Flying Duck – I drink there! But in a way, setting it in a modern new-build Glasgow flat, just gave me the pure heebie jeebies about going back to my own Glasgow flat. Thanks guys. I’m gonna have to watch an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philedelphia to wind down, even though it’s 1 in the morning, and I’ve been up since 8am getting a tooth out.

Definitely worth checking out. If your idea of good creep is things like the slow approach of an ominous figure in It Follows, or the swipe past Pipes in Ghostwatch, this is a film for you.

Synchronic is about a drug which causes you to become unstuck in time. It has a fun X-Files episode vibe. It has that sci-fi mixed with crime procedural, plus a buddy-cop dynamic.

It stars Jamie Dornan from Fifty Shades of Grey and Andrew Mackie from Avengers, who have great chemistry and make very believable best friends. Their back and forth really brings to life a lot of the humour.

Just a really fun movie.

Black Circle is a movie about a cursed vinyl LP. It’s done in a 1970s style, when scientific research into altered consciousness legitimised interest in psychics and astral projection. Strong start peters out towards the end and it completely loses momentum. Overall though, I’d say I enjoyed it.

Here Comes Hell is a horror comedy in the style of Evil Dead meets Agatha Christie. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Dead Centre is a zombie/demonic possession riff set in a mental health ward. Utter shite. 

Level 16 is a teen dystopia set in a prison finishing school with a dark secret. Like Handmaid’s Tale meets One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest but boring.