Etheria Film Fest Through the Years - 2015

  

 Women in Horror Month 2022

                                

A look back at the first ten years

NOTE: Many of the shorts that were part of the Etheria Film Festival can not be found on Amazon Prime video and on Shudder as part of your subscription Search for Etheria and see all six seasons!

Etheria Film Festival 2015

INNER DEMON - A teenage girl is abducted by a serial killer couple and manages to escape and find refuge in an isolated farmhouse, only to discover it is home to greater horrors and a malevolent spirit.

(2014, recipe 84 minutes, Australia) Written and Directed by Ursula Dabrowsky

Trailer Vimeo Link

Rent on Amazon Prime or get it as part of your subscription to Screambox

Short Films

SHEILA SCORNED - When Sheila Johnson accidentally messes up a major illicit deal, local kingpin Barry and his goons kidnap her from the club where she dances. Unfortunately for Barry and the men, Sheila also happens to be a shit talking, ass kicking psychopath with a plan of her own. And there's nothing she hates more than men on a power trip...

(USA, Action/Thriller, 17:45)

Directed by Mara Gasbarro Tasker

Vimeo Link

SHEVENGE - From Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) ) comes this twisted, darkly comedic, genre-bending tale of revenge - a revenge of the worst kind - Shevenge! While at a killer slumber party, Sam, Taylor and Charley embark on a journey of revenge and empowerment.

(USA, Fantasy/Action/Comedy, 11:31)

Directed by Amber Benson

Vimeo Trailer Link

EL GIGANTE - After attempting to cross the US/Mexico border in search of a better life, Armando awakens in an unknown room, his body broken down and a Lucha Libre mask sewn into his neck. He attempts to escape, but is surrounded by a sadistic family, who watch him with hungry eyes.

(Canada/Mexico, Horror, 13:42)

Directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero

Vimeo Behind the scenes

GÖDEL INCOMPLETE - A time-travel romance between one of the great minds of the 20th Century, Kurt Godel, and a lonely particle physicist, Serita Cedric, a research student working at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.

(Australia, Science Fiction, 13:21)

Directed by Martha Goddard

Vimeo Link

DE NOCHE Y DE PRONTO *Jury Award for Best Film* - Home alone in a deserted apartment building during the Christmas season, Maria is startled to receive a visit from a desperate man claiming to be her upstairs neighbor, whose apartment is being broken into by thieves

(Spain, Thriller, 19:53)

Directed by Arantxa Echevarria

Vimeo Link

SLUT *Audience Award Winner* - A naive young girl becomes the target of a murderous sociopath when she attempts to reinvent herself to impress the boys in her small Texas town.

(USA, Horror, 20:49)

Directed by Chloe Okuno

YouTube Link

Etheria Film Fest Through the Years - 2014

 

 Women in Horror Month 2022

                                

A look back at the first ten years

Etheria Film Festival 2014

NOTE: Many of the shorts that were part of the Etheria Film Festival can not be found on Amazon Prime video and on Shudder as part of your subscription Search for Etheria and see all six seasons!

“Wakening” –  Danis Goulet

(2013, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Canada, 9 mins)

In the near future, the environment has been destroyed and society suffocates under a brutal military occupation. A lone Cree wanderer Wesakechak searches an urban war zone to find the ancient and dangerous Weetigo to help fight against the occupiers.

YouTube Link

Vimeo Link

“Job Interview” –  Julia Walter

(2013, Thriller, Germany, 10 mins)

When Lisa applies for a job everything seems to be turning out pretty well… Until the boss Marie starts asking strange questions and the job interview turns out to be a little different than expected…

YouTube Link

“You Me & Her” –  directed by Sarah Doyle

(2014, Science Fiction, USA, 20 mins)

When 30 versions of one person pass through the wormhole at the Department of Parallel Resettlement, Anna discovers she is the worst possible version of herself.

YouTube Trailer Link

“Dia de los Muertos” –  directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero

(2014, Horror, Mexico/Canada, 12 mins)

On the night of ‘Dia De Los Muertos,’ the women of the La Candelaria strip club seek revenge on those who have abused them.

YouTube Interview Link

Vimeo Behind the Scenes Link

YouTube Trailer Link

“Dawn” –  directed by Rose McGowan

(2013, Thriller, USA, 18 mins)

Dawn is a quiet young teen that longs for something or someone to free her from her sheltered life. One day she meets Charlie, a high school dropout, who offers her a glimpse into a world she dreams to be a part of.

Vimeo Link

“Hide & Seek” – directed by Kayoko Asakura

(2013, Horror, Japan, 11 mins)

A schoolgirl visits a house to take a Koto lesson. She meets her teacher and her son, and they seem to be playing “HIDE and SEEK” in the house. The Koto lesson starts but the girl soon realizes that there’s something very odd about the teacher.

You can purchase this short at Vimeo for $1.99 or rent it for .99 cents

“The Jelly Wrestler” – *LA Premiere* directed by Rebecca Thomson

(2013, Action/Comedy, Australia, 14 mins)

With one last shot at jelly glory, washed up wrestler and barmaid Eileen must grapple with aging, betrayal and her own jelly wrestling demons – a task that may well put her down for the count.

Etheria Film Fest Through the Years - 2013

 Women in Horror Month 2022

                                

A look back at the first ten years

Etheria Film Festival 2013

NOTE: Many of the shorts that were part of the Etheria Film Festival can not be found on Amazon Prime video and on Shudder as part of your subscription Search for Etheria and see all six seasons!

Warnings from the Bathtub -  Elizabeth Appel - A woman disregards the warnings from the hallucination of her dead mother in the bathtub and sublimates her passion for men who betray her to a couch she’s quite sure will forever be faithful. Quickly she learns obsessive love consumes.

Vimeo Link

The End of the Night -  Emilie Rosas - Shot with the players of RM Grandeur Nature, The End of the Night chronicles the events surrounding the rebellion of the Sons of the Dawn against the Mayflies during the period known as "Eternal Night".

Vimeo Link

Culling -  Kerinne Jenkins - In an irradiated, subterranean world, a naive, but compassionate boy finds himself having to decide what is really important in life.

YouTube Link

Butterflies - Isabel Peppard -  A young artist sits on the sidewalk, struggling to make a living. She makes drawings for the passersby. A businessman recognises her talents and offers her a paying job. The prospect seems inviting but the reality threatens to kill her imagination..

YouTube Link

The Rift - Belinda McCulloch - In a dystopian future where people are abducted by an unseen force, a young couple fight to stay together and find answers in the shadows.

Vimeo Link

Render -  Surita Parmar - A man and woman living in a computer-generated landscape struggle to comprehend that their universe isn't real.

Vimeo Link

Monster -  Deborah Burns - Monster is a fable set in a pastoral post-apocalyptic time. Hannah, played by Jodelle Ferland, draws the winning lot to feed a terrifying hungry monster waiting in the forest.

YouTube Link

Best Friends Forever - Brea Grant - Harriet, a comic book artist with a secret, and her reckless BFF, Reba, take their '76 AMC Pacer on the open road and instead get a wild ride towards an impending nuclear apocalypse.

Vimeo Trailer Link

You can watch the film on Amazon Prime

Etheria FIlm Fest Through the Years - 2012

 Women in Horror Month 2022

A look back at the first ten years

Etheria Film Festival 2012

NOTE: Many of the shorts that were part of the Etheria Film Festival can not be found on Amazon Prime video and on Shudder as part of your subscription Search for Etheria and see all six seasons!

Seamstress – Gracie Otto (Australia) - An ailing bird watcher becomes obsessed with a seamstress living next door when he observes her luring birds into her home. He discovers that she needs the birds to survive, and that he may hold the key to furthering the species.

IMDB page - Director's IMDB page

YouTube Link

Vimeo Link

Oowie Wanna – Bridget Palardy (Savage Cole)(USA) - While doing laundry, a misfit 7-year-old girl tumbles into an alluring other-world, where she must decide the fate of her birthmark.

IMDB Page - Director's IMDB page

Prita Noire – Sofia Carrillo (Mexico) - A fantastical animated story of two sisters in a strange place, and their strange relationship.

YouTube Link

Vimeo Link

She Wolf – Francesca Reverdito (Italy) - Little Red Riding Hood turns the table on the wolf.

IMDB Page - Director's IMDB page

Vidsee Link

The Maiden and the Princess – Ali Scher (USA) - A fairy tale about a young girl who loves the princess instead of the prince.

IMDB Page - Director's IMDB page

Omeleto Link

The Hunter and the Swan Discuss Their Meeting – Emily Carmichael (USA) - A Brooklyn couple have dinner with a hunter and his girlfriend, a magical swan woman. It doesn’t go well.

YouTube Link

The Stolen – Karen Lam (Canada) - A dark fairytale about an imaginative little girl who saves a bullied boy and is granted a secret wish.

Karen Lam Demo Reel

The Red Hood – Danishka Esterhazy (Canada) - A dark re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood set in the Canadian prairies during the Great Depression

Vimeo Link

The Provider – Brianne Nord-Stewart (Canada) - In an alternate-history 1940s small town America, after Japan retaliates over Hiroshima with biological warfare, the local doctor’s home is the safest place to seek refuge. Or is it?

The Provider link

Undetected –  Kristen Anderson (Sueve) (USA) - A blown engine on a remote road forces two sisters to look for help in a ghost-town from a couple that closely resembles the living dead.

Vidsee link

Laura Keller – Maureen (Mo) Perkins (USA) - With global population at an extreme high, federal fertility lotteries now determine who can and can’t reproduce. When one woman learns that she will be permanently sterilized, her faith in the system is shaken.

YouTube Link

Mo Perkins on her film

Imminent Danger – Alana McNair (USA) - Whoops! After an unintentional button pressing incident alerting Earth of its impending demise, Gail must find a way to reverse this misunderstanding and save the world!

Alana's Website to view

Kaboomtown – Jakqui Schuler (USA) - As the human race keeps on exploding around her, Jane struggles to fill out a stack of application forms to stay alive.

YouTube Link

Slashed – Rebecca Thomson (Australia) - Worlds will collide when Renata and Frieda’s erotic fantasies cross the digital frontier.

YouTube Link

Volcano Girl – Ashley Maria (USA) - Fighting super villains is easy. Losing your superhero job, moving back home and sharing a bathroom with your little sister? Now that’s hard.

Vimeo Link

We Are All Cylons – Ilana Rein (USA) - We Are All Cylons investigates our very human enthusiasm for technology and myth by examining the metaphysical resonances of the television series “Battlestar Galactica.”

Vimeo Link (Preview Only)

Salem Horror Fest 2021 - The Amusement Park (1975)

 

The Amusement Park - The George Romero foundation is one of the sponsors of this year's Salem Horror Fest and with that comes a ew treats. The Amusement Park is one of those treats. A plea for help from the elderly of America through the metaphors and eyes of George Romero. Set in an amusement park it follows and elderly gentleman as deals with the hustle and bustle of the crowds in his aged condition. At one point early in the film he enters a door which leads into a white room. In this room he finds a bedraggled version of himself, and has a conversation about joining the fun in the park. His other self is a wreck and can barely speak, telling him that there is nothing for him out there. Not listening the gentleman ventures into the park. Ignored, dis respected by society, pushed bumped and manhandled the gentleman eventually enters the white room a beaten man until his newer self again appears and he tells him there is nothing out there for him. Through the amusement park metaphors we see various ways the elderly are mistreated. From being ignored by the ticket sellers, to not bein quick enough for younger people who grow frustrated. The problems caused by failing eyesight, a metaphor for how the wealthy are fawned over while the rich don't even want to look at the elderly. There is messaging that looks at incapacity vs charity and the limits when the young start to feel the burden. It really is quite a variety of woes including how criminals prey on the elderly. The film really is a giant PSA about how we treat the elderly. I say that like the film was made in the present but  only because these issue exist today as they did in 1975.

Iron City Ass Kickers (2021) Another older Romero pulled from the archive for the Horrorfest is this pilot episode hoped to become a television series. It centers around the local pro wrestling curcuit in Pittsburgh and tells the story of one of the big matches, for the Iron City title, it has the bad guy champion and the beloved challenger and many of the theatrics you would find in the WWE, I am not quite sure where they were going with this but it is a weird little entry in the Romero world. The man himself plays a bar patron in some scenes but the show seemed to be lacking any meta content leaving it an imitation of the already imitation wrestling world.

Salem Horror Fest - Hall (2020)

 

Hall (2020) - When a debilitating sickness spreads across a long hotel hallway, a few scattered victims fight for survival, and try to escape from the dark narrow stretch of isolated carnage.

  This film was a bit too close to home now a year and 8 months into our own pandemic. There is a great way that writers Derrick Adams, Francesco Giannini(story) & Adam Kolodny spend time in the script allowing the audience to know characters. There are these really smart introductions with just enough background that when the shit starts hitting the fan the audience cares about characters and fewer seem like a body count. Primarily bouncing between Naomi (Yumiko Shaku), a woman who has fled to America on the premise of work but really has fled the husband of her unborn child because as she puts it he is a "bad man". In her interactions with the other lead Val (Carolina Bartczak) a woman in an abusive relationship looking for a way out and trying to protect her daughter while she finds it. The instances and dialog of "Mommy's clumsy" etc. are cliché in establishing the abuse but the feeling director Francesco Giannini creates with framing and music really brings home the threat of the husband character Branden (Mark Gibson) and kudos to him too for his ability to scare and threaten just with his quiet moodiness.  When a viral agent is released on the floor the two women are staying, we flash between them seeing how they got to where they are but also suddenly the effects of the crisis on each and the steps they take to deal with it. The viral agent does not just sicken those exposed but also makes then violent in the last throws of the sickness. Having to navigate the hall full of infected people creates a drama that is as menacing as the personal lives these women lead. Broken up into what is happening during the outbreak and Flashbacks that add a nice character development, I came away really liking this film, even though If I don't have to see another thing about viruses for several more years, I would be glad.

Salem Horror Fest - Landlocked (No release date)

 Landlocked - Will be part of the Salem Horror Fest virtual festival starting Oct. 22nd. Summoned to his soon-to-be demolished childhood home, Mason discovers a video camera that can see into the past, driving him to record as many memories as possible before the doomed house is destroyed. Summoned to his soon-to-be demolished childhood home, Mason discovers a video camera that can see into the past, driving him to record as many memories as possible before the doomed house is destroyed.

The concept of using an old camcorder to view the past is a very cool idea, I start thinking about some of the time swirling ideas that Aaron Morehead and Justin Benson have been coming up with but here is a much less reality trippy version of that. Director Paul Owens brings us a gently paced rumination on life and the places that capture those memories in this film where he intertwines the story of the family house being torn down with his personal home movies. A shy man he did not have a ton to say at the Q&A but the film is a unique take on our need to process memories and how they connect to the places we live.

I personally am a bit jealous of the idea that someone can have a family home where they spent their entire childhood. My family moved town to town and back never really staying in one place longer than a couple years. I think we all want that stability and connection to the places we have lived and in this film Owens shares a strong connection with his childhood even if the premise is a conceit. 

Salem Horror Fest 2021 Wicked Shorts 1

 Salem Horror Fest Short program #1 - I love shorts and although all the shorts in the program are not necessarily brand new the collection is really well curated and was quite thought provoking and enjoyable.  Trying to be spoiler free ion shorts is somewhat difficult but I will give it a try. I will give the description provided by the fest and then whatever thoughts  have on the content again trying to be some what spoiler free. I missed a couple in this first screening with traffic delaying my arrival but I have another opportunity to fill in the ones I missed next week.

Marked (2021) by Matthew Avery Berg - A tattoo artist is forced to confront his past when a client knows what his tattoos really mean. This short was not my cup of tea but still so professionally put together about a tattoo artist whose ink is recognized by his client. An interesting story about the meaning of tattoos in the Russian mob it is a revenge story at its heart. Cruel and unforgiving like it’s subject it was a solid entry at the Salem Horror fest shorts program.

DYSTOPIA (2020) - Directed by Laura Ugolini Forget reality shows and Instagram beauties; a young girl's fantasy becomes the playground for a gang of women set to create the perfect man, one limb at a time.  Teaser for the short   I reserve the right to change this as the setting made it difficult to read the subtitles. A weird little play in a child’s imagination it speaks to how children are programmed to the need to be beautiful and roles in searching for the perfect man, the shocking lengths that the characters in that fantasy go to make that happen.

Don't Text back (2020) -Directors - Kaye Adelaide & Mariel Sharp  A woman seeks the help of an energy healer to rid herself of a cursed necklace that strangles her every time she doesn’t text back her bad Tinder date. Wonderfully amusing, as it pokes fun at new age healing while still addressing the very disturbing issues around tinder stalking. When a  energy healer helps a woman with a unique problem they both benefit from the outcome. Humor and a serious cursed necklace equals a fun little short without glossing over the dangers of stalking.  Teaser Here

Logan Lee & the Rise of the Purple Dawn (2019) -  Directed by Raymond C. Lai - DJ Logan will play today at the party of Beatrice Pan, a friend with whom he is in love. To reassure himself, he smokes potent marijuana. - This short was weird and wild with a original structure and cool ideas along the lines of They Live but instead of sun glasses you need to get high on Purple Dawn. Starring actor Osric Chau who I know from his role as Kevin Tran on the show Supernatural I really liked this short. His quest to save the girl he longs for from the energy sucking cyborgs was very cool.

Sundown Town (2021) - Directed by Milo Butler, Bryce & Mitchell's trip home is disrupted after making a pit stop in a mysteriously unwelcoming town. This short plays sort of like the episode of Lovecraft Country where they had to be out of the all white county before dark, but with a queer twist to add to the racist one of that show. Being a short the violence is less big budget but still personal and effective.

Bed (2020) by Emily Bennett  - Bed is going to get a higher rating from me because it is an excellent portrayal of the effect of sexual violence and the lingering trauma associated with it. It is a sad and serious watch but really well done. The short is a woman in her bedroom not being able to use it to sleep. Through her hallucinations and flashbacks we learn just what happened to her. Very well written and executed.

Miss Blueberry Beauty Pageant (2020) - Directed Sarah Kennedy  Welcome to the 1984 Miss Blueberry Beauty Pageant! Where the girls are a feast for the eyes and as sweet as honey. Follow these three finalists as they navigate the twists and turns of a pageant that reveals a much more sinister secret. This short was so much fun. Funny and ridiculous with the right mount of hamming, it follows the last three contestants in a pageant that has an unexpected outcome.

Verified (2020) - by Ali Chappell  A lonely but hopeful insta-influence gets bit by a zombie while live-streaming and finally gets the audience she craves... but at what cost?  So much satire and humor wrapped up into a topic, influencers wanting to be verified accounts, that this one oozes fun.  Nice effects and a really well thought out horror bit made this very enjoyable.

No Game Like Foxes (2020) - by Raphael Arkera  A man finds himself being stalked by a relentless killer, in a deadly game where humans are hunted for sport.  Now this is a short I did not really connect with trying hard to find a logic that did not really make sense to me. Maybe I was over thinking it but I struggled with the "whys" in this short. Well made but I just didn't quite grasp the meanings. The masks were cool.

Salem Horror Fest 2021 - Miracle Valley

 

Miracle Valley (2022) - Writer, Director and Actor Greg Sestero brings us a tale that he says is influenced by Race with the Devil (1975) and the story of couples on vacation, who run into a blood cult does run along the lines of the older film where two couples on vacation in a Winnebago see a satanic cult sacrifice and then have to run for their lives. Miracle Valley has a bit more to it and was quite enjoyable as a kickoff title for this year's festival. David (Sestero) and Sarah (Angela Mariano) are a couple whose relationship is in flux, Sarah having trouble dealing with her mother's terminal illness is stressed and recently had to get psychological help for the stress. David is waiting for the right time to call off the relationship but feels now is not it. A photographer trying to make a name for himself David is invited to the Arizona desert to try to get a photo of a rare silver hawk, that could make his career. Once there having met up with friends Scott and Jade and later another couple of friends find more than they bargain for after meeting a biker, preacher, couples counselor and cult leader Father Jake (Rick Edwards).  To remain spoiler free I will leave the plot of the blood cult and just talk about things that struck me during the film. Let's just say there is more too it than initially thought but unlike Race with the Devil where the threat grows and so does the characters paranoia in this film it feels the paranoia never develops and the main character never seem to really have to discuss it. Also unlike RWTD this film is not a road chase film with tons of high priced stunts. In that film we never really know the cultists they are just this dangerous threat, but in Maricle Valley we get to know them quite well. Instead it just takes some surprising and shocking, if predicted turns into crazy-ville. Compared to it's influence I like that the female characters have a hell of a lot more agency that Loretta Swift and Lara Parker in RWTD.

  The plot was fun in that it had several little turns and surprises including a cold open that came back into play in a big way later with the character Erika (Louisa Torres). The relationship troubles worked to setup a bit of tension that facilitates Sarah being taken in with Father Jake and allowing him to build trust with her. The silver hawk hunt gets them where they need to be and the added couples raise the body count. It all worked to get the film into gear. The music in the beginning and the a scene at the end really gave me a Tarantino vibe whether intentional or not.  The film sounds good throughout and the horror cues were pretty right on.  Later the crazy cult twins Ellie Smith and Amy Smith, playing Mira and Kelly did their best Manson girls imitations was kind of fun to watch. There were a couple cheap jump scares but that is perfectly alright. The film appeared to be filmed primarily in Arizona but Sestero says he was thrilled to be able to use Frank Lloyd Wrights falling waters house in Pennsylvania for a scene at the end of the film. It's harder to comment about the acting, or if some of the writing put me off but it felt a bit uneven to me. Much of the film is carried by Edwards as Father Jake, but at times I was the wished for a more likable personality that turns dark and threatening. It may be that the introduction he had was the opposite, a threatening manner that quickly turned gentle after seeing Sarah. He also have to turn on the charms later but some of the friendly stuff, even though I knew there was menace behind it didn't come through as evil as I wanted it to be. Overall I enjoyed the film so even though I did not stay around to talk to the film makers, (too tired)  and it was a great start to the Salem Horror Fest

Coverage of Salem Horror Fest

 October is upon us and that means the Salem Horror Fest in Salem MA is on course to run from Oct 1st -11th primarily on weekends and virtually from Oct 22nd to the end of the month. It will be a marathon to try to see and report on all of the wonderful content it provides but it is a marathon I am willing to attempt to run. Two intense weekends LIVE for the first time before the pandemic. I have yet to enter a movie theater since the restrictions were lifted here in MA but with n95 in had and vaccination card in my pocket I am going to see if I can tolerate it. The trick is to see if I can see all the stuff the fest has to offer tha is not included in the virtual part.  We shall see, I have a schedule planned out but its a bit grueling and I am an aging man so wish me luck.

Tickets are still available at https://salemhorrorfest.eventive.org/welcome  

See you at the movies.

Don't Look in the Basement (1973) Horror Asylum

Don't Look in the Basement (1973) - aka The Forgotten, Director S.F. Brownrigg takes a script written by Tim Pope and Thomas Pope and brings sort of on the nose story to the screen, but overall it lacks movement and the tension needed to make it a really good film. It is a story about a young psychiatric nurse Charlotte Beale (Rosie Holotik) arriving at her new job at Stevens Sanitarium. The dramatic irony is that Dr. Stevens (Michael Harvey) the man that has hired her, has been killed by one of the patients "the Judge" (Gene Ross) and another patient Geraldine Master (Annabelle Weenick) is posing as the new head of the sanitarium. Okay before you start giving me shit for spoiling the plot, stop. The premise is known to the audience right from the beginning of the film. Not only that the writers and director do very little to hide the subterfuge from the viewers. It really is the major flaw of the film that everything about the secret is not hidden in anyway. We know from the start and watch as Charlotte eventually figures it out.
  There is some really fine acting in this one, particularly co-lead Weenick who had a long career (1961-98) before her death in 2003 at the age of 78. She carries a lot of the emotion in the film as the control freak with the secret she does not want Charlotte to know. When the rest of the patients start unwinding and her position becomes threatened she does the only thing a mentally ill control freak can do and starts killing them off. Other character well played are Sam (Bill McGhee) who plays a lobotomized man child, and the Judge (Ross) playing an uptight rules obsessed patient.  The rest of the cast play there stereotypes, Harriot (Camilla Carr) obsessing over a doll like it was her baby. She also appeared in the 2015 Don't Look in the Basement 2. That film was directed by son of SF Brownrigg, Anthony  and uses several of the original locations.  Danny (Jessie Kirby) playing something of a screechy adult 11 yr old trickster. Jennifer a withdrawn moper with a dangerous side. Stg. Jaffee (Hugh Feagin) war veteran with a bad case of PTSD, Mrs. Callingham (Rhea MacAdams) an old lady with dementia, and Allyson(Betty Chandler) a sex and relationship obsessed woman looking to have a man "love" her, all the time and with borderline tendencies that keep that from happening. All are okay and make a hodgepodge of stereotypes that play off each other to create situation that Charlotte has to deal with. Gene Ross also had a long career and was in some notable films like Halloween 4 : The Return of Michael Myers and David Lynch's Lost Highway.
  Charlotte is slow on the uptake and can't see through the thin veal of sanity Masters is projecting which sets up a classic third act when all the hidden bodies are found and the true nature of the situation she is in is revealed. Even though she is technically the final girl she has very little agency in discovering the truth. Instead of being proactive and figuring out the weaknesses in the reality being presented to her she just goes along trying to deal with the situations that working with the mentally ill present. In the end it is really the patients inability to keep a secret more than anything Charlotte does that exposes the charade. Even then in a panic she tries to flee from the house, and in not finding an unlocked door ends up trapped in the basement. It is only Sam's decision to help her that she survives. We are left with her standing outside in the rain while the patients kill each other inside.Needless to say this is not really getting a recommendation on this blog. Although it is part of the early seventies horror I like it just doesn't have enough to it for me to give it a thumb's up.

Chattanooga Film Festival pt. 3

Chattanooga Film Festival pt.3 - On the final day of the festival I tried to cram as much in as I could. Here is what I had the pleasure to see before I ran out of time.


Disco Graveyard (2020) - My friend and Cool Cat Izzy Lee created a musical montage film that is asking some big question. Watching her growth as a film maker since the days when she was creating shorts programs at the Somerville Theatre has been a pleasure. She is so much a professional film maker and it shows in this short. Check her stuff out and of course, be wierd!


Fulci for Fake (2019) - I am a big fan of Lucio Fulci the film maker and have a pretty full collection of his movies. In this strangely structured documentary we learn more about his personal life while while also touching on the films of his career. The premise that seemed so strange to me was that of an actor who is going to play Fulci seeks out the important collaborators, family and family members to find out who the Man behind the movies was. I found that premise a bit awkward but the information I got about the films connected to his life events at the time of writing the films was intriguing. You can see the themes and emotions of his life being incorporated into each film. That was fascinating how the experiences the filmmaker was having directly showing up in his art. Isn't that what art is all about?.

Scare Package (2019) - So many clever horror ideas packed into Scare Package, it was just a pleasure to watch. Seven directors each taking a whack at a different sub-genre of horror bring our favorite tropes and a great sense of humor to creat a truly charming anthology. When this one comes out on June 18th I will definitely be adding it to my collection. See more Here

 Compartmentalization Storage Facility (2019)- by Eliaz Rodriguez, I loved that this idea was brought to the screen. Imagine if you could take those hang up and emotional scar tissue of your soul and store it away making you a better person as you move forward in life. Well this film explores that theme and does it in a clever way. Part two of this film should be an episode of Storage Wars where without seeing inside the unit people bid on and by other peoples issues.

For Your Consideration (2020) - Not my favorite but sort of an inside Hollywood comedy making fun of the process of making projects and the prejudices that come with generating ideas and putting together teams.

Gabby! (2020) - I really liked this and it wonderful little turns, at 11 minutes it tells a well rounded story about a cartoonist who decided to kill off her main character Gabby but when she witnesses a murder and the killer comes for her things change in an unexpected way.

His and Herzog (2020) - Wow, I really loved this film, such a strange and smart film about relationships and communication using a truly novel technique. A pat on the back (virtual) to Gates Bradley for putting this film together. It may be my favorite short in this festival.

Little Willy (2019) - Inside the world of horror conventions we have the fictional former child star Adam Castle (Andrew Bowser) who struggles with his life appearing at horror conventions selling images, autographs and interactions with fans to make a living. When the doll he starred with begins to talk to him he slowly descends into madness. I loved that both Zach Galligan and Adrienne Barbeau costar in this wonderfully evil little film.

Low (2020)- by Megan Duffy was a cool litttle film where Sasquatch tries to make friends at a party. Cool music and a wonderfully shown story arc for the character made this a really cool watch. It is great when an idea can be reduced to the essentials and then executed with skill.

Pen Pals (2019)- A ghost story with a cool little twist about manipulating the supernatural ability to write and receive letters from a ghost ( or someone in the past).

The Haunted Swordsman (2019)- The most awesome puppet oriented Ronin story that I thought was just wonderful. Some big names in this film including the voices of Christopher Lloyd, James Hong, Jason Scott Lee and Franka Potente.

Chattanooga Film Festivat pt.2

I Who Have No One (2019) - A powerful short slasher that encapsulates the pain of being judged for your size in a world obsessed with fitness and beauty. It also shows the self empowering of one woman in the world through her acts of mayhem and violence. I thought this was saying so much and all wrapped up in a slasher. Written and Directed by Pierre Tsigaridis and Dina Silva. Silva also stars as Frances the lead who melts down from the pressure of having to look beautiful or else being dismissed. Tsigaridis also has a role as Jerome, the devil of a sort encouraging Frances down her violent road to hell.  

Best Friends Forever (BFF) (2019) -  A play on urban legends where saving yourself from the ghost may be worse than dying. This was what it was harmless but not particularity new in conception. Entertaining with pretty decent effects, but just not my cup of tea. The filming is spot on and the stereotypical characters hit their marks so if urban legend stories do it for you check this one out.

Separation (2020) -  Rebekah McKendry's short using body horror to emphasize a marriage's end in the most bloody horrifying way. Smart and too the point the short does not linger, it establishes the situation and conditions and climaxes with a wonderfully bloody scene. Dr. McKendry is a producer Director and Podcaster  as well as one of my personal favorite horror experts.

Maere (2018) -  Explores a doctors interaction with syndrome where people die in their sleep having nightmares. Lots of dream logic and creaking noises make the doctor's own life a tragic story.

Catatonic (2019) - OMG An obsessed cat owners trials and tribulations when his beloved Charles Lickens vanishes. This is both obscenely gross and hilarious in following the lead Cat Daddy (Timmy Ramone) as he pathetically obsesses about his lost cat. Written and Directed by Brian Zahm this one is a strange delight. Could not find any IMDB credit for the film or the people connected to it.

SeaSapian (2019) -  A cool noir fantasy where there is a world below the ocean (the ocean is the sky in this world) and every now and then something falls into it, fish a ship or in this case a mermaid. Cleverly made it is a hard boiled detective story creatively put together by Sasha Carr and starring Leigh Carr as our detective. I thought this was wonderful. Could not find any IMDB credit for the film.

Beauty Juice (2019) - A short and a bit on the nose critique of the beauty industry. SO what though it is well filmed and its five minutes. Written and directed by Natasha Halevi and starring Jennifer Holland it is just the right size for its message.

Live Forever (2019) - A tribute musical to the often forgotten victims of horror movies. Wonderful with gore effects it is a very clever piece. Gustav Egerstedt wrote and directed this really great number that any horror fan can love. It is very much worth checking out.

The Wave (2019) - A bad trip for Justin Long teaches him that the universe strives to right itself of bad behavior and immoral decisions and that he can participate by making the necessary sacrifices. I really dug this film and participated in the Q&A event on Sunday evening. The trippy nature of the film is so wonderfully uncomfortable and the morality tale it tells were so spot on it is definitely one you should seek out.Writer Carl W. Lucas constructs a great tale about having to make amends for our moral failings.  Director Gille Klabin puts it together with a great cast and a wonderful flair.

Metamorphosis (2015) - A Revenge story of a middle-aged woman May Wong (Cici Lau)abused and spurned by her cheating husband and the revenge she gets. Maybe the oldest film in the festival but it cracks with power. The lead actress Wong is excellent and the sad and disturbing results on her actions on her daughter show that this is not a simple revenge thriller where the victim is redeemed and the only consequences are born by the evil doers. Written by Feiyang Sun and Elaine Xia  and Directed by Xia this is a must watch in the festival

Chattanooga Film Festival 2020

Chattanooga Film Festival 2020 - Online but right in time!  I was planning to attend the Chattanooga Film Festival this year when the world experience this horribly debilitating pandemic. I was more than thrilled to sign up and participate online when the opportunity arose. I signed up ready to go and was awaiting the day when I could see some of the great films and shorts, as well as live events that would be the online version of the festival. As always you can give your thoughts on the festival through the comments section of the blog or shoot me an email movies@edhovey.com or tweet @Soresport
The start of the festival is a bit of a sad story for me though. I live in Massachusetts and my Mom has been getting fighting a incurable form of cancer in Tampa for the last three years. I don't normally share too much about my life but I have to shed some tears and type here to get it out of my head today as I start talking about the festival. After a really bad bout of chemo on Monday before the fest my Mom had a reaction where she was not lucid or in control of herself. This was a deciding factor for her deciding to stop her treatment and let the disease run its course. My sister Trish who is caring for her called me and my six other sisters to let us know if we wanted to say goodbye we should come down to Florida as soon as possible. We were taught by Mom while growing up that family always comes first so we all got on the phone and computers and started making plans to get to FL by Wednesday which was my Mom's 76th birthday. Fuck the risk of the pandemic some thing just have to happen and making what will be my Mom's last birthday special as possible is all that mattered. So tickets in hand I met my Sister Dawn and her daughter Shawna at Logan on the first flight down on Wednesday.
  Florida while I was there went from pretending to take the pandemic seriously to opening most things by the day I left. Here in the northeast where we have stayed in our homes to try to bend the curve saving thousands of lives they have taken the Federal Govt. approach and do social distancing but let whomever ignore any rules in place in fact celebrating when they do. Still I was impressed by the number of citizens who seemed to be taking the pandemic seriously even with the lack of leadership on the Governor's part. Since I was already taking a chance in travelling I just kept having that horrible early story of the pandemic in my head where the family got together and half of them later died of Covid-19. I have to say though that wasn't going to stop me on this visit, I felt guilty and selfish while already grieving for what will inevitable end for my Mom.
  It's such a strange feeling to know that you will not see someone again when you leave. During the visit even though you are having laughs, supporting each other with the conflicting feelings, having family meals and making my Mom so happy. Wednesday was a great day for her she was sharp as a tack and so happy to see each new person who arrived. She was a shell of herself for sure, not able to walk and with a voice that seemed a quarter of the strength it had last time I saw her. I visited last right before Christmas (in the photo) and she was in such great spirits and feeling positive she would have much more life. Chemo though is a hard treatment and eventually is worse than the cancer poisoning your body to hold the disease at bay. Still not knowing we were coming my Mom got to see all her kids and many of her grandkids as we each showed up at the house her surprised and joy was so evident. The first part of our visits she was concerned with us wanting to make sure we understood her decision to stop treatment. Then we partied together a family sharing stories and hanging out in the pool and hosted wonderfully by my Sister Trish and her husband Chris who have carried a the burden of my Mom's care for these last few years. I am so thankful for them and their loving hearts and strong hands. As we all moved through the week we knew we would have to have that last visit, time alone to say goodbye. It was so hard for each of us but I have to say being able to come from that goodbye and hug my Sisters and my daughter was so important.
  Just a bit on who my Mom is. She is part of a family (Mills) that has been in this country as far back as the 1700's, they fought all the wars from the revolution on and built lives in New England mostly in Maine and Massachusetts. She was born in Boston and grew up on Fort Hill in Roxbury, pregnant at 15 she married my father but he struggled with alcohol and she left him at age 23 taking her five kids and moving into assisted housing on Franklin Hill in Roxbury. My mom taught me about perseverance and hard work, she didn't settle for her lot she worked her whole life taking any job that would have her to work her way off welfare and to reenter the middle class. Even though we had hard years, where we barely stayed in housing, always struggled to have food and clothes to wear. Moving like nomads when we could no longer afford the place we were ( I went to 9 schools before I graduated High school). She persevered and continued to fight. Not always at home for us we children learned hard lessons on the streets but always stood up for each other. She eventually got us all through high school and with her second husband, Father to two of my sisters lived a very nice life. It is my honor to give this information to you to let you know how great a person can be even if they are not leading anything but a family.
  I arrived back on Saturday and am now hunkered down in the bottom half of my split level home. My wife and I are separated for the next two weeks while I quarantine to make sure I did not bring the virus back with me. I have to say although I am sad, it is a wonderful thing to be able to use the Festival as a distraction from all that is going on. Thanks everyone who made this happen. You are in the right place at the right time for me and I appreciate it.
  So on with what I am watching: I think I will a keep this really spoiler free relying on my feeling about the watching and less about any plot twist and the such that may spoil the film. I am a day and a half into my VIP pass but ready to use it. I will also add to this post as I view more films over the next couple days.

Eat Brains Love (2019) - Zombies and Psychics combine in this horror comedy. I have to say I really enjoyed that the first thing I saw was a comedy. A zombie plague that is contracted though sex that but with twists in how it works to allow the characters to fulfill their roles as high school stereotypes. A secret government agency of psychics who can hunt them down, a movement of infected organizing to fight back, and a high school boy lusting after the prettiest girl in school. I enjoyed this mostly because it was light and entertaining with a new and different take on a genre that seems to never stop seeing innovation. Writers Mike Herro and David Strauss come up with some inventive stuff while Director Rodman Flender paces well and catches some of the comedy bit wonderfully. The acting is good starring Jake Cannavale,  Angelique Rivera, Sarah Yarkin, Jim Titus and the always great Patrick Fabian as the villian. Not to mention the gore is pretty well done in the film.

Inferno (2019) - Writer Director Bishal Dutta, with actors Taylor Cloyes and Craig Ng (as Skullface) give us one of those in late out early seven minutes shorts where you are in the climax of a story when it starts. Nothing needs to be explained as in that seven minutes it is shown not told. Well done with Cloyes portraying the intensity of the characters situation from the moment she is on screen.

The Yellow Night (2019) - The incomplete IMDB entry for this film at this point does not do it justice. Sure it is a story about a group of teens going to a Brazilian island to celebrate the end of high school only to face horrors beyond imagining. It is more than that too. I have to watch it again because I was viewing right before bed and really want to get into the themes presented with a clearer head. It bring quantum mechanics, multi dimensions and crossovers in the fabric of time into a story about kids leaving their old lives as students in defiance of social norms. The use of Patti Smith music ( I loved that, one of the most honest fever dream song writers of her time) as a defining force to show these kids are the outliers. They are the ones that don't fit into this world and them end up in a place beyond the world as we know it was a brilliant bit of writing by Ramone Porta Mota (also Directing) and Jhésus Tribuzi. The pacing was a bit off at times with the trying to show the changes happening around the kids, it left the viewer wanting a bit quicker build up and reveal and some really bigger reveal towards the end. Like I said I was a bit tired when I started it so I would like to see it again with fresh eyes. I have a feeling I missed some of the depth of this multi dimensional film. This is a film where in reviewing it hearing the director talk about the ideas would be very interesting. I will try to feature it later in the future for a full review.

The Droving (2020) Crime Revenge

The Droving (2020) - Small independent films in the age of streaming actually have a fair chance at being seen. If a producer is savvy on social media she / he can get someone like me, who likes to take chances on films to put eyes on a project and get a bit of feedback or in this case a review. NOT that a large audience reads this blog but that does not change my love for films and the desire to write however poorly about them. Since the film is new and the makers Rubicon wants to create a buzz I will do all in my power to NOT spoil the film but talk about the experience in a way that allows for fair viewing without spoiling the plot. Rubicon is a small company (at least right now) and describe themselves as "...Rubicon Films we bring dark fairy tales and folklore to the screen with heart and style.  We produce independent feature films in a number of different genres."
  Martin's (Daniel Oldroyd) sister Megan (Amy Tyger) was murdered and being an ex-military information extractor he is driven to find the person who killed her. In a sort of  Bryan Mills, in Taken (2008) he has a certain set of skills that make him up for the job.  Questioning characters that knew her Tess (Suzie Frances Garton), The Hermit (Jonathan Lawrence Risdon), Simon (Bobby Robertson) he learns about The Merchant (Alexander King) and how that belief lead to Megan's death eventually solving the mystery of who dunit. Much like the film taken one interaction leads to another, then to another with each step getting Martin closer to the killer. On the way we get to see his "skills" and his internal struggle with the things he has done in the name of obtaining information.
The Droving filmed in Northern England, The Lakes Region, Penrith, Cumbria a lovely little town from the looks of it around the time of their winter droving arts festival. A Drover is someone who drive herd animals into town, and the current Winter Droving festival is an arts festival that encourages you to join the herd. This is a film that builds a myth about a supernatural entity called The Merchant, I will say he is a demon or devil who offers those who have lost love ones the chance to get them back. The exchange though is the death of others, which brings us to the story.  
  My impressions on the story and players are that they have a decent main character, with enough back story to fill him out. Oldroyd plays him how I would expect, with a calmness that seethes rage behind his face (mask). Maybe a bit too confident by the last scene we see some real emotion. Although a bit too "this leads to that" in it's approach the story pacing is decent. It's not a long film and I never found myself disengaged. Tess played with a really nice nuance by Garton was an empathetic character. Risdon's portrayal of the hermit was a bit more manic but considering the plot points I wouldn't really fault him for that. I would have liked the mythology of the Merchant to be a bit more hashed out since it was pivotal to the mystery of why. I wonder if I would have criticized it though if we had gotten a bunch of exposition on the myth. I guess it would depend on how organic those scenes felt. With the slight twist of an ending that leads to the continuation maybe more would have been better to fill out the supernatural side of the story. Overall though I liked the movie and was certainly entertained.
  There were a couple of technical things that distract a bit from that enjoyment. The ambient sounds in many scenes were too loud and distracting, birds, wind, fireplaces, and rain at various times interfered with the dialog in a really annoying way. The other criticism has to do with the night scenes and just that those scenes needed to be lit better. In one case there is a fight scene by Martin's parked car and because the scene is too dark it lacks the impact it could have had to show off his prowess. Like I said earlier though overall enjoyable, the Director George Popov keeps the pacing crisp and the cinematography particularly of the landscapes in that part of England makes me want to visit. The place is stunning and captured beautifully by Harry Young. The music was understated and quite lovely. So while you are all spending most of you time at home during this worldwide pandemic watching way too many screens, take a chance on a small independent film, you won't be sorry.

You can see the Trailer on Youtube