Review: Feed the Gods

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Feed the Gods
Directed by Braden Croft
Random Bench; BMC Pictures; Compound B; MVD Marquee Collection
84 minutes, 2014 / 2021
www.facebook.com/FeedTheGodsFilm
www.randombench.com/films/
www.MVDVisual.com

Films that use the idea to feed local “gods” is not a new concept; just off the top of my head there is Jug Face (2013; reviewed HERE) and two others I won’t name because it is the plot twist of the end. One could even include the original King Kong (1933) as Faye Wray is chained to be sacrificed to the big ape. Actually, this Canadian film is closer to Kong than the others.

The prologue, of which I will not give too many details, is effective in a number of ways. First, it sets up the story of the two main characters, brothers William and Kris. Second, it is creepy and tense as hell at the border of the town of Tendale (population 60, filmed near Vancouver, British Columbia), and third, it can be seen as a social commentary about the heartlessness of the coyotes who work the southern border of the United States thanks to antiquated and cruel immigration laws. But I’m a proud liberal, so please excuse the politicizing. Anyhoo, if the rest of the film is of this caliber, it’s going to be interesting.

Emily Tennant, Tyler Johnston, Shaun Roberts

In the modern-day body of the main story, we meet the brothers as grown-ups: William (Shaun Roberts, who played Albert Wesker in the later Resident Evil franchise and was a semi-regular in the last season of the Canadian “Heartland” show) is a brutish, fly-by-night guy who wears sleeveless tees to show off his hulk and smokes pot, while Kris (Tyler Johnston, Samadriel on “Supernatural) is super uptight and looks like he just stepped out of High School Musical (2006). After finding some family artifacts, the sibs decide to head on back to Tendale (though the stress level is up to Elevendale…sorry) with Kris’s girlfriend in tow, Brit (Emily Tennant, who was the voice of 2017’s “Polly Pocket”). The bros are at odds (you know they will bond by the end, as all road movie companions do, no matter what the genre), with Brit in the middle as mediator. A bit formulaic, but one that tends to work.

On the way to search for their parents, William says prophetically, “Let the hunt begin.” Of course, at some point who is the hunter and who will be the – er – huntee? It’s telegraphed pretty early on (and hell, even on the front of the box), that there is a Bigfoot/Sasquatch problem and the town is living in fear.

Britt Irvin

For a place as isolated as Tendale, it seems to be hopping in the brothers’ perspective. They stay at a B&B run by Emma (Britt Irvin, Stargirl on “Smallville” and the voice of Sunny Flare on “My Little Pony”), which has a couple of extra guests from down undah beside our heroes. It’s not hard to figure out why they are there. Anyway, the film likes to telegraph itself, so while the tension remains (especially between Will and Kris), it remains not hard to figure out what is going to happen next in many cases, and who are the good and bad people.

While the film lulls for a while as we are fed necessary expository information, but somewhere about the half way point, it begins to pick up steam once our three stalwart explorers start to camp out to search for Bigfoot, since they aren’t having much luck with the parents.

Aleks Paunovic

With some really nice yet somehow sympathetic bad guys like the massive Pete (Aleks Paunovic; Julius in the recent “Van Helsing” series), and a couple of good double crosses in various directions, the story goes from predictable to… not. Sure, all the telegraphed things come to fruition, but surprises arise in around that, and there are even a few decent jump scares.

There isn’t a whole lot of blood, not to mention gore, but the story gives us a pretty decent body count, whether it is by the gods or in a Straw Dogs (1971) kind of scenario. The acting is well done, though I really wanted to smack the two brothers on a number of occasions due to some ridiculous and constant bickering for the first two acts, but that is more on the characters than the players.

The extras start with a full-length commentary by director/writer Braden Craft and associate producer and SFX/props builder Travis Shewchuk. Honestly, the commentary for this is kind of a wash-out. After about 20 minutes, I started to skip around a bit. There are large blank gaps, and when they do discuss the film, it is on mostly a superficial level, though the third act is the most interesting. If you listen to it, fine, but you really will not miss much if you do not. There is also a Behind the Scenes featurette (13 min). Again, it is with Craft and Shewchuk, but this is a bit more pertinent. One of the things they discuss that I found thought-provoking is that the original concept was as a found footage, and I am grateful they did it in narrative form instead; there is nothing I find more annoying than running through the woods at night by the light of a hand-held camera.

There is also the theatrical trailer, two other MVD coming attractions for relatively mainstream fare (with the likes of Zoë Bell and Jeff Goldblum), captioning, and a reversable cover.

The film helps show off the beauty of British Columbia. I have been there a few times, and it really is stunning (and recommended). Meanwhile, stick around for at least part way through the credits for more story information, and if there is a sequel, I will happily watch it.

 

Review: Baphomet

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Baphomet
Directed by Matthan Harris
Incisive Pictures; Cyfuno Ventures; Cleopatra Entertainment; MVD Visual
72 minutes, 2021
www.facebook.com/baphometmovie
www.cleopatra-entertainment.com
www.MVDVisual.com

To be clear, “Baphomet is a deity that the Knights Templar were accused of worshiping, and that was incorporated into occult and mystical traditions. The name Baphomet appeared in trial transcripts for the Inquisition of the Knights Templar starting in 1307” (thank you Wikipedia).

Now that is out of the way, just from the name it is not hard to guess that this will have something to do with witchcraft, covens, and the like. Well, you would be right. And who doesn’t love a bloodthirsty cult film, eh wot?

Usually, the cult is introduced either at the very beginning or the very end to this genre’s releases, and here it is right off the bat with the first scene, so I am not really giving anything away. The coven is led by Henrik Brandr (the infamous Giovanni Lombardo Radice, who was in giallo classics by the likes of Fulci, Soavi and Deodato, and one of the main stars of Lenzi’s 1981 Cannibal Ferox; recently he’s been in the likes of the 2006 remake of The Omen, and the underrated 2009 House of Flesh Mannequins), and right from the start you know they are not only up to no good, but prone towards the sacrifice/slaughter of others.

Colin Ward and Rebecca Weaver

As the story starts, Henrik’s son, the creepy Aksel (Stephen Brodie), asks to buy the land from well-to-do (from the looks of the house) Jacob (Colin Ward), who seems to overreact in anger to the request. Sure, Aksel is a bit pushy, but Jacob seems hellbent (pun intended) to be pissed off. Naturally, this will not end well by the conclusion; it is easy to tell even from this scene five minutes in. To paraphrase the words of that great philosopher Edward Norton, this brings “a pox on them and all their ancestors.”

This affects Jacob’s family dearly, including Jacob’s wife, Elena (Ivy Opdyke), their pregnant daughter, Rebecca (Rebecca Weaver) and her husband, Mark (director Matthan Harris). If he will not give up the land, expect to be knocked off one by one, often through Henrik’s spells or by a mysterious, brutish figure dressed in black (massive Nick Principe; I have been a fan since 2014’s Collar). 

Charlotte Bjornbek

With all the mayhem of the first act, the real focus of the film comes into effects with the introduction of "white" witch Marybeth (solid acting by Charlotte Bjornbek), as it settles into the final battle of good versus evil, or as I like to call it, playtime.

The violence throughout the story is plentiful, the blood and gore are gruesome and the SFX is incredibly well done. Same with the costuming and make-up. There is a nice, high body count, some of it coming quick, others lingering in close-up.

Dani Filth

There is a fun Skype cameo by Dani Filth, vocalist and lyricist of the metal band Cradle of Filth, among others, as an expert on the Occult (which Filth is in real life, as well). The role is not taxing, and he does well with it. It is odd to see him without beard or make-up, but that does not take away from the role.

There are a couple of holes here and there, but the storyline is fluid and I am happy to say that there were times I was grateful that it dodged some cliches, such as using certain good-person-who-ends-up-being-evil motifs (I could think of at least two they avoided). Most of the acting is decent, and it is well shot with good editing and lighting.

Giovanni Lombardo Radice

Basically, there is no wild steps taken out of the narrative flow, though some surprises, and it truly is a case of you getting exactly what you would expect for this genre. It’s like comfort food in that it is cozy yet enjoyable.

There are lots of extras included, such as a Dani Filth backstage interview (9 min.), which is actually before a concert in Dallas rather than during the filming. It covers a wide range of topics, including the filming, getting tattooed, and his band, Cradle of Filth, which is a fun watch. This is followed by a music video by TANK, featuring 5-octive range Filth, called “Shellshock.” If you are a fan of Filth, you know the style. However, I would recommend seeing it after watching the film, because the only visuals are from Baphomet, and it shows too much of the action and can ruin the story with spoilers.

The Deleted and Extended Scenes (13 min) were rightfully excised, but are entertaining to watch, as is true with the Outtakes (7 min), which could also be called the Blooper Reel. If you like that kind of thing, you will not be disappointed. There is some Behind the Scenes pictures, character art and storyboards by the talented artist Jason Millet, the teaser trailer, and a nice selection of Cleopatra Entertainment film trailers.

To me, though, the takeaway lesson of the whole megillah, genre film or real life, is never, ever go paddle boarding by yourself.

Review: On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky
Directed by Seth Breedlove
Small Town Monsters; 1091 Pictures
85 minutes, 2021
www.smalltownmonsterss.com

They say when you are passionate about something, you don’t have a job. Or something like that. Seth Breedlove and his Small Town Monsters (SMT) company are spearheading a movement on the questionable: Bigfoot, the Momo, and a host of other cryptid creatures. For this documentary, he both goes out of his – er – orbit of “natural” Earth monsters, and looks up at the stars. But from the perspective of being very on the ground.

Over time, Breedlove has gone from films that are mostly documentaries and part re-enactments, to being the point of focus leading the expedition. This makes sense in the world of Covid, keeping it close and personal as much as possible.

Not counting claims of Aliens visiting Ancient Egypt (and helping to build the pyramids? Really?) or Latin America thousands of years ago (if you want a laugh, check out the 1968 book Chariots of the Gods?, by Erick von Damien), UFO sighting claims are actually relatively recent in the United States, dating back to around the Second World War. Though most of the creatures Breedlove has focused on have been around a bit longer than that, the explosion of Alien contact is fully national, rather than isolated segments of the country (for example, as Breedlove’s previous docu showed how the Adirondacks are a focus of detections, rather than, say, Taos, AZ).

Seth Breedlove and Shannon Legro

That being said, Breedlove is joined in this quest by paranormal researcher and author Shannon Legro, who has her own podcast called Into the Fray Radio. She leads the questioning of the people who are claiming sightings. They start off, in this case, in West Virginia, where an older man describes a sighting he had when he was 10 years old. From there, they mostly focus their travels investigating and interviewing around West Virginia with a quick boo northwest into Ohio (STM is based near Akron, OH). I think it is really smart to keep the focus small and concentrate on one relatively small area (i.e., a state) than nationally, or even globally. Especially in these pandemic days.

The film, which is based on a television show by the same name (2020), also wisely manages to bring in some references to the meat of STM concentrations by noting that West Virginia is also the area of the infamous Mothman, and a few interviewed mentions it directly. But there are other weirdness and cryptids mentioned, such as an alien from a crashed UFO, the Green Monster of Flatwoods, WV, which has a museum dedicated to it in that town, and a whole section of the mysterious Men in Black, who may be military, or possibly otherworldly. There are even some paranormal investigators thrown in to help search for information.

Are the Aliens interested in the military which has numerous bases there, power sources of West Virginia such as coal mines, electrical grids and nuclear plants, or the many factories that built them (e.g., Nitroglycerine for TNT came from the WV town of Nitro)? Or perhaps, and for me this is one of the weakest arguments, do they use the coal shafts and caves to travel to a “hollow earth”? It’s all good fun, anyway.

I find it interesting that the crafts all are different shapes. One investigator comments that most are saucer shapes with lights, but the descriptions are numerous, including triangular or other forms. Perhaps they are from different civilizations, or may be built by billionaires on other planets? Okay, the last sentence was totally me. But I mean the first part of that sentence, which I have not seen questioned before.

The film is bolstered by some incredibly well-done animations and re-creations, as well as some possible images of real sightings. There are also various 1950s film clips that I enjoyed, such as ones from Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956; thank you, public domain).

Legro, who also presents the television version, is a good host, and she certainly does the job well. On occasion, though, she seems a bit stiff when reading the narration. She is stoic quite a bit, so the parts where she gets excited really liven it up, such as in the last section. I will acknowledge that it is a fine line when interviewing not to take away from the person who is talking, and when dealing with non-professional talkers, this can be challenging; and she does this quite well. Breedlove, who spearheaded the previous On the Trail of Bigfoot (2021, reviewed HERE), wisely takes a back seat to Legro, and lets her get to work, chirping in with his questions just at the right time.

When dealing with the topics of great mysteries like the supernatural, cryptids, and/or Aliens, there are two aspects to keep in mind. The first is whether or not they actually find one in their search. That is certainly one of the reasons why we watch these documentaries. The second is that usually, you know you are going to be left unfulfilled, like this is the appetizer (questions) without an entrée (answers), but the smells are so good in the restaurant (the program) that you just do not care. That is the ultimate goal for both the program and the viewer.

Breedlove’s documentaries that I have seen, and there have been a few now, have never disappointed, and I always look forward to them. UFO documentaries are pretty much a dime a dozen, but the way he ties in the cryptid connections makes this stand out some from the others, and for that I am grateful.

 

Review: Ringmaster

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Ringmaster (aka Finale)
Directed by Søren Juul Petersen
Frightgeist Films; Jingai Films; Danse Macabre; MVD Visual
100 minutes, 2019 / 2021
www.jingaifilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com

I realize it is a gross generalization, but people in Denmark are known for being "happy." Perhaps that is because they watch horror films? Or possibly because they make them? Well, in this case the latter is definitely true, as it is mostly in Danish with English and German, and has English subtitles for all languages. It is based on a novella by Danish writer Steen Langstrup.

With finger firmly beside nose, in the opening – which I am sure will be mentioned in numerous reviews of those familiar with older films of terror – a man comes from behind a movie theater curtain, and gives almost the same speech that opened up Frankenstein (1931; original speech HERE), with some particulars in the center changed. This said to me, okay, we are off to a good start. 

After a prologue which is actually from later in the story and then continues interspersed throughout, we learn that most of the body of the film is a flashback until it eventually catches up. We are introduced to our two female leads that are working the late shift at a gas station/convenience store (which most are these days) where there are few customers because of the big final game in which Demark is in the finals (I am guessing soccer/football). This means every person who drops by the station is under suspicion by the audience because, well, it is a genre film, giving the viewer some possibly juicy red herrings, though honestly, if one pays attention, it not hard to figure out who the Ringmaster is in the early story. But more on the Ringmaster later.

Karin Michelson and Anne Bergfeld

There is Agnes Burger (Anne Bergfeld), who is the daughter of the gas station owner, and trying to finish her Psychology thesis in the back room. She is in a somewhat stable relationship, and Belinda (Karin Michelson), a working-class woman trying to get by – who uses a flip phone that only texts – and has a tumultuous relationship with a man of a questionable background. The women are mostly bored through the first 15 minutes or so, but their personal dynamics, as they have such different backgrounds and personalities, keeps it interesting. You just know they are going to bond by the end, as is the formula for any film with contentious leads, genre or not. I can empathize because I used to work in a single-screen large movie palace in my teens, and I remember those dull, slow nights, where I was assigned to stay inside the theatre proper, watching a film I had seen 50 times or so, and no one to check on in the seats. But, I digress…

While Agnes’s boyfriend, Benjamin (Kristoffer Fabricius) is off at the game (I don’t understand sports devotion when there are so many genre films still left to see), Belinda’s boyfriend, Kenny (Mads Kadoul), shows up and gives us good reason as to why Belinda’s mom is not a fan. He looks like he just stepped out of a MAGA rally in Mississippi, and is a complete macho moron.

At 30-minutes in, I started talking to the screen because these two women, with suspicious characters all around, just do not call the police. This is one of those infamous people in genre films making bad decisions moments that drives me crazy. If that was me, in real life, I would have 911-ed without thinking twice. Here, Agnes is a spoiled girl with rich parents, and it appears, a narre (fool), notwithstanding her higher education. If I was working with the boss’s daughter, I would insist we lock up and go home early on; considering there are so few customers, it won’t make a hoot of difference. Irriterende. Both these women make incredibly poor choices throughout.

Damon Younger

The Ringmaster (Damon Younger), who is the center of the fate of many of the characters here, is just the pointman or emcee for a group of both men and women viewers in plain white masks, as he tells Agnes, “It’s only show biz.” He is in creepy whiteface (and hands), reminding me of the Joel Grey character in Cabaret (1972). He presents a snuff game show on the dark web called Escapismus (Escapism) that borders on Hostel (2005) territory.

Despite the outdated phones, television and CCTV technology is prominent here, be it the CCTV at the gas bar, a video camera held by a customer (with a mention of YouTube), and the wall cameras used by the Ringmaster to film his prey being brutalized. I also found it interesting the juxtaposition between the tension in the early gas station scenes, and the physical violence in the interspersed and later events. Another difference is that with later ones, there is a lot of extreme close-ups used to differentiate the mood of the flashbacks and the current. As the film progresses, the new story is intermingled more often, Usually starting with a close-up of a camera lens.

The cruelty, which of course is the point, is honestly sometimes hard to watch, but it is important to think about the voyeurism of the Web; nothing sells like violent pranks and accidents; I blame the worldwide acceptance of such actions on “American’s Funniest Home Videos” and moronic shows like “Jackass.”

The extras are minimal, just caption options, chapters and three trailers (though not for this film).

Despite my quibbling about some actions taken by the women and their boyfriends, whether it is written by Petersen or Langstrup, the build-up and consistency and-yet juxtaposition of the tension and violence, still works, especially if you enjoy talking to your screen, which I do (only at home). The film is well put together, the gore and violence are graphic, and it is a intriguing-yet-disturbing ride from beginning to end.

Review: Bigfoot’s Bride

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Bigfoot’s Bride
Directed by Erick Wofford
Rat Bastard Media; Cyfuno Ventures; Wild Eye Releasing; MVD Visual
78 minutes, 2021
www.facebook.com/Bigfoots-Bride-1596085083757685/
www.wildeyereleasing.com
www.MVDVisual.com

Bigfoot ain’t the only thing retro going on here. With an opening of period piece film warnings and “feature presentation” notices, we set foot in the woods with an old-film-into-VHS-style filter that occasionally adds scratches and “rolling” distortion to the images, and an oversaturation of color; I must say, after seeing so many blue and sepia monochrome films of late, this is a nice diversion. There is also an ‘80s-style synth soundtrack (not counting the excellent Americana music over the credits).

The film appears to be shot on a single-camera in Georgia, including the beautiful Chattahoochee National Forest, about two hours northeast of Atlanta, with cinematography mostly by Daniel Peppers.

Daniel Wofford

With this title, I kinda guessed going in that this was going to be a comedy of sorts, and with all the hoo-haa I mentioned added, it definitely is not taking itself too seriously and is a very dry comedy, and I like that. However, it is more humorous than funny, making the occasional bits stand out all the more, such as the creature (Daniel Wofford) growling, as he fishes, “Die! Die! Die! Dammit!” Yes, this version of Bigfoot talks in a semi-electronic voice that sounds a bit like it was autotuned.

In the prologue, a hootchin’ father and son are a campin’ and a huntin’. Uh-oh, in a Bigfoot film that does not bode well even in the opening 3 minutes before any action starts (when I am writing this). And because it’s a throwback, it should come as no surprise that there are Bigfoot POV shots using what I believe is an infra-red, fisheye lens.

Jessica Megan Rivera

The titular bride is Heather (Jessica Megan Rivera), a camper who has just broken up with her fiancée. She’s pitched her tent in the woods on her own (who does that?), with you-know-who watching her every move, including some cringy bathroom moments. It’s love at first sight for Biggie, as he follows her around like a schoolboy, trying to get up the courage to approach her (you heard me).

Meanwhile there is fish to try and catch, and RVs to rummage, and other campers upon which to chomp. It’s all a matter of survival for our Bigfoot, which seems to not be too easy, even after a long time in the woods.

The creature’s head and the film’s make-up look pretty good, even at its cheesiest, handled by Adrienne Silberman. He does look more like Toxie or a later version of Jason Vorhees than Bigfoot – plus he wears overalls with a nametag and his upper hair is an obvious jacket – but in the words of Liam Lynch, whatever. There is a lot of practical effects, even a touch of cartoonish gore, but the occasional time there is blood spray, it is hysterically cartoonish CGI, reminding me of the “Pow” balloons in the old “Batman” television show from 1965. I have no doubt this was done purposefully, and it made me laugh out loud. This is certainly doing the throwback ‘80s effects: remember how energy bolts looked back then? This is comparable.

One of the interesting aspects of this film is that even when Biggie interacts with others, it’s rare to see him and the other person in the same shot, but rather goes back and forth like they weren’t filmed at the same time. Perhaps this was filmed in the height of Covid, and that was their workaround? From a technical perspective, this intrigued me.

I had an issue with the use of the Bigfoot name, as it is incredibly inaccurate. There is no explanation as to why this deformed guy with Bigfoot feet and talons is given that name; that being said, in the middle of the end credits, its origin and nods at a possible sequel are hinted. Those fans of the hairy Sasquatch may be turned off by that association. There is also no information about the mutant’s history. Perhaps in-breeding? It is around the Blue Ridge Mountains, after all.

While the director shows quite a bit of heart and some beginning filmmaking skills, there were definitely some issues with the film. For example, the first two acts are merely set pieces strung together with little connection other than his lust for Heather. It isn’t until the third act that the story begins to find some cohesion into an actual storyline.

For me, the biggest problem was in Wofford’s editing, as in not enough. This would have been a more solid hour film: it could use some serious and judicious snipping, especially early on, such as the way-too-long scene at the river where we see someone fishing and Bigfoot finding a clown mask in the water. The film loses momentum in these moments. Also, I could have done without the lingering shots of fish being gutted and cleaned, even if I knew they were going to be eaten (as I’m sure they were).

This is the director, Erick Wofford’s first full feature film, but this is certainly a family affair as a number of the cast and crew is actually members of his clan, and I’m sure many others are friends. That’s a smart financial move and I respect that a lot. I look forward to seeing his filmmaking skills grow.

 

Review: Killer Nun

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Killer Nun (aka After Midnight)
Directed by Roberto Albanesi; Luca Bertossi; Davide Cancila; Francesco Longo; Daniele Misichia; Nicola Pegg; Davide Pesca; Eugenio Vallani
Demented Gore Productions; Moonlight Legacy Productions; Wild Eye Releasing; MVD Visual
85 minutes, 2018 / 2021
www.wildeyereleasing.com
www.MVDVisual.com

The original name for this Italian (with English subtitles) anthology is After Midnight, but it is certainly no surprise they changed the name to Killer Nun, considering the success of The Nun (2018), from The Conjuring franchise. I am totally fine with that. However, the one problem is it is too easy to mix up the title with the also-Italian giallo film, Killer Nun (1979; reviewed HERE). There is also a series of videogames with the same name. 

The opening piece is by Daniele Misichia, who gives us “Vlog: L’ultimo video di Sara (“Vlog: The Latest Video of Sara”; 2016). We meet a fast-talking vlogger Sara who is responding to her needing to block some of her viewers due to some sexist remarks. The rest of the film follows what happens after that. It’s a bit bloody, but there are some nice jump scares thrown in. Simply presented with a single camera in almost real time, it’s compelling, though read the captions quickly because she speaks fast. I really like when the topic of technology is current, unless it’s a “throwback” film.

For “The Taste of Survival” (2018), Davide Pesca presents us with a post-apocalyptic world after “the bomb,” where there are few survivors. One of them, a woman, is being chased by a trio of radiation scarred men interested in, well, you know. Is there a saviour for her, and if there is, what is the motive? One can easily guess, but the gore is graphic and well done in a Spaghetti Western motif (one character even has a bit of a Lee Van Cleef vibe). The look of the film is a bit washed out with a muted red lens, making everything nearly monochrome. This is both a mood piece and a gore-fest, so many should be pleased. I was.

There is a very good reason why the main character has “Nyctophobia” (“Fear of the Dark”; 2017). Francesco Longo offers a non-verbal (other than laughing) tale of strange hauntings around him, and eventually explains why. It is a mystery that is fun to try and figure out, and the make-up is quite spectacular for an indie short release. With sharp editing and a blue night filter, we see his fear and come to understand it over time. A couple of nice jump cuts and scares, and some really nice false endings are also prominently featured. It’s nicely atmospheric.

“Nel Buio” (“Into the Dark”; 2018), by Davide Cancila, boons us with a woman who has PTSD after… well, I won’t say, but her diligent brother has been taking care of her for a year. But as they must in genre films, the past has a way of catching up, whether it is memories or the shadow of things that were, and this jump-scare laden tale does a decent, if somewhat convoluted, way of doing just that. This story also tends to use the blue filter night lens that is almost monochrome.

The demonic nun finally comes in with Luca Bertossi’s “Io non le credo” (“I Don’t Believe Her”; 2017). Evil nuns, demons or priests do not surprise me in an Italian film, where the Vatican understandably still has hold, and tales of possession, devils and demons are part of the core of the Catholic culture. Have you ever seen an Episcopalian Exorcist or a Lutheran Devil film? I have found only the Baptists and especially the Evangelicals are as obsessed with evil creatures as the Catholics. This piece is short, but it is beautifully shot with almost still-picture-quality posing. And, yes, a blue night lens. A man feels his house is haunted by demons, and he calls in a priest to cleanse it. But will the priest be able to find and face the evil? Watch and see.

This time with a sepia-tone or blue monochrome – and sometimes none! – a woman is kidnapped by someone in a mask and an apron in “Escape from Madness” (2018) by Nicola Pegg. In a scene reminiscent of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, she wakes strapped to a chair at a table while someone cooks some questionable meat. In fact, there is a lot that is, well, let’s just say a homage to the Saw. But adrenaline is high for the entire story, and the ending is satisfying. While I would not make the choice in real life that was made by the central character, and would have stuck with the rock-paper-saw original plan (not going to give it away), the way it’s done is a lot bloodier, so I also aesthetically approve.

To be honest, when I first started watching Roberto Albanesi’s “Che serata di merda” (“What a Shit Night”, 2018), I thought it was the weakest of the batch, but at the halfway mark, when the film becomes meta-existential, I understood what I missed in the first half, and it became one of my favorites on the reel. Go figure. An annoying couple is being visited by a vengeful ghost, who has a hysterical conversation with one of the couple’s friends, the director playing himself. I actually went back and watched this whole short over and appreciated it a lot more. No color filter, too.

The final tale is “Haselwurm” (“Hazel Worm”, 2011), presented by Eugenio Vallani. For clarification, a hazel worm, or slow worm, is a legless lizard, that is not a snake, and not poisonous. For this story, it is so much larger, like a Komodo dragon, and has attacked a couple, biting the man. While not poisonous, that’s not to say that the bite doesn’t have an effect, which I will not reveal, but it does produce some nice SFX work. The story is a bit slow-and-steady paced and kind of predictable somewhat – though the ending was better and slightly different than I expected – the cinematography of what I assume is the Alps and in general is beautifully done. And yes, there is use of blue and sepia filters.

Many stories have to do with the nighttime and use monochrome filters, as I have said before repeatedly. If you watch the trailer below, it almost seems like the film is in black and white… or blue and white.

Even though it is inaccurate to the contents within, there is a great piece of horror art on the DVD cover. The extras are three company trailers (not for this film, though), and chapter choices.

Some of these shorts have existed independent of this collection, while others seem to be created specifically for the anthology. It’s all good, of course. What is part of the fun is that while some of these stories have been done before in some form or another, the Italian touch and influence makes them different just enough to make it almost like a fresh coat of paint on an old car: you’re driving in a similar direction, but everything feels shiny, with muted colors.

Review: Face of the Devil

 Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Face of the Devil (aka La Cara del Diablo)
Directed by Frank Perez Garland
Star Films; La Soga Producciones; Jinga Films; Danse Macabre; MVD Visual
87 minutes, 2014 / 2021
www.facebook.com/caradeldiablo/ 
www.Jingafilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com

Usually, when a story claims to be “Inspired by true events,” you know it’s going to be either a slasher film or dealing with the supernatural, be it ghost or demon/devil. And since this film is from the Northern Peru city and jungle surroundings of Tarapoto (the characters travel the 600 miles from Lima), it is no surprise that it is leaning towards the latter. Peru is generally a religious country, and religion tends to lead to belief in the evil end of the supernatural spectrum, as well as the holy. As you may guess, the film is in Spanish, with English subtitles.

Vania Accinelli

In this version of a cabin in the woods, it’s a wooden, multi-room hotel in the middle of the jungle with no internet or phone service (natch). Actually, it looks like a cool vacation spot, even though there are no roads leading in or out (just walking trails), so I wonder how it is self-supported. But I digress… The only way to get there is by boat. On that small craft are seven attractive young friends who are undergrad age, including the main couple, virginal Lucero (Vania Accinelli, in her first role) and Gabriel (Sergio Gjurinovic), another couple, Mateo (Nicolás Galindo) and Fabiola (Maria Fernanda Valera), and three others friends, Paola (Carla Arriola), Camila (Alexa Centurion), and diminutive incel Pablo (Guillermo Castaneda), who has a thing for Paola. 

The creep factor starts early on with the odd and unsmiling “host” of the place (Ismael Contreras), as he passes out the keys to the giggling gaggle of youths. Needless to say, he fills the iconic role of the older man who warns the group to be careful, because no matter where you are in the world, if a bunch of young people onscreen get together to go somewhere secluded, there must be this character, be it the guy who runs the gas station, just walking along, or in this case, runs the hotel.

After some exploring and topless bathing by a beautiful waterfall, the group settle into a hot tub to tell the equivalent of scary campfire stories in order to bring up the main topic and threat of the film, the shape-shifting, whistling Tunche, or demonic spirit (thank you, Google).

Before you can say ceviche – okay, about 20 minutes in – a mysterious woman starts popping in and out just beyond the windows to start the second act, and the motor starts revving, slowly at first and building. There is also quite a bit of wind and rustling of foliage. It sounds weird, but it was a bit unsettling, as the director used it well: not over- nor underdoing it.

Despite following a few of the group-in-the-woods paradigms, one of the aspects I really liked about the film is that the kids in question are not slasher cliches. For example, there is no jock who mistreats women or his friends, no over sexualized woman who backstabs, no goths, no know-it-all intellectual who seems to prenatally be aware of everything about the supernatural, no prankster… you get the picture. One thing I will say, though, is that – and I can only go by the English translation captions – the word “moron” is used a lot. These are more genuine-feeling people, despite some natural bickering here and there, which is actually better because there is no one to root for to get killed (you know, that satisfaction when the jock invariably gets it, for example). They all have their own personalities, and come across as decent people, generally. This helps the kills be more emotional, which I believe makes for a better picture overall.

How does the Tunche arrive at this faraway location to pick off our crew one by one? Its origin becomes obvious, in part, pretty early on, thanks to some nice flashbacks, but the film does not lose any of its umph because of that

Despite the nice sized body count, there is actually very little blood for quite a while, and minimal gore. As for the physical end, there are some naked breasts and a male tush, and a theme of almost-sex, but this is watchable for both the horror hound and the novice (who is okay with the nudity).

The acting is better than usual, which is hardly surprising considering the work many of the cast has done, mostly in shorts and especially playing recurring characters on television series.

Although there are fewer living bodies by the third acts, there are still moments of tension, and a nicely done reveal, as it should be in a genre film. And as a movie in this category, it quite lives up to it. It is appropriately eerie, and manages to keep it up pretty consistently, when the group isn’t emersed in water somewhere. Through the love and squabbles, and lots of bikinis, it successfully pokes at you more with mood and tension than with jump scares. I found this enjoyable, even with the subtitles, which were easy to read, and did not pop in-and-out too fast, as is often the case. A worthy view.

Extras are a few really interesting trailers (including for this film), most of them in foreign languages with captions, as well as the standard stereo options and chapters.