Friday
Should be in two parts due to the short film showcase.
Poor Agnes
An active female serial killer called Agnes operating in Canada is approached by a private detective who is pursuing a missing persons case. The 'missing' person is one of her prior victims. One would expect that the private detective would be a dead man but Agnes decides to keep him. After spending some time breaking his will he becomes her pet enduring the various torments she inflicts on him.
Not a cheerful film perhaps but it has its moments of black humour. Poor Agnes is a great serial killer flick that plays with the dynamics of the two characters with our titular killer playing the dominant and the detective the submissive. While he starts out as a victim, he slowly becomes complicit in Agnes killing and it seems to appear that he's getting something out of the relationship. If you get the chance check this one out.
Short film showcase
Fissure
A woman whose child disappeared ten years ago is plagued by nightmares. She self medicates with smack and begins to discover that her drug fuelled dreams may be taking her to the place her child was taken. An odd little mix of influences including Donnie Darko and Absentia.
Real gods require blood
Sort of like benefits street relocated to one of the layers of hell. A young heroin addict is asked to watch her neighbours kids. What seems at first like a neglectful parents gets steadily darker as the family secrets are uncovered one by one. Highly atmospheric little horror that calls back to the VHS era. I can imagine its the sort of family the tabloids were dreaming of during the nasties scare.
Birthday
A nurse who is steadily robbing the patients in her nursing home steals the ring of a woman who has just turned 100. Things then get weird for the nurse who discovers there may be a curse attached to the ring. #
2 A.M
A first person perspective (think hardcore henry) film from the perspective of someone who is either mad or trapped in hell. Lots of use of symbolism from Alice in Wonderland which is such a heavily mined source at this point it feels a little cliche. However its a solidly made short that was still an interesting watch.
Born again
A group of bumbling satanists are attempting to raise the Antichrist. They read the ritual in reverse by accident and summon Jesus. A simple enough story told well with lots of genuinely funny moments.
Liz Drives
A woman is driving her sister to a party. Her sister appears to get kidnapped and the woman must pursue the kidnapper to get her sister back. Or is it all in her head? Decent Australian short with a great ending.
They make you grow a beard.
Irish bodysnatchers film where the menace is hipsters rather than aliens. Genuinely funny unless you have a beard and tattoo's because a lifestyle magazine told you to, or you were just going along with everyone else.
 |