[Event Review] Final Girls Berlin - Part 1: Gluttony, Menaces & Medical Horror

GLUTTONY

Binge and Purgatory

The spirit of punk is alive and well in Rebecca Kozak’s Binge and Purgatory, a sick and spiky story of disordered eating and recovery through cannibalism.

Kozak’s love for the DIY genre is palpable through ingenious use of stockings as intestines, 90s-style nihilism labeled on junk food (Diet Coke = Die Ok) and music from icons of grit and glam, Lunachicks.

When Malady (Elizabeth Larkin) and her Mom (Cynthia Loewen) clash over their dietary preferences, teenage angst turns murderous as Binge and Purgatory explodes into a riotous blend of sickly sadism - like a razorblade in a cupcake or a vomited cake in the toilet bowl

Three Ways to Dine Well

Firmly placed in the Greed block of films was a break from fictional frights in the form of Dr Alison Peirse’s documentary on the focus of food and hunger in horror. Expertly presented with relevant focus, Three Ways is a detailed dive into the importance, symbolism and cultural relevance of food within horror films, focusing on (as the title suggests) three specific schools of thought.

Both incredibly well-researched and laced with witty humour, Dr Peirse dissects the well-established but often overlooked links between horror, women and food against visuals of clips from films that women had a major hand in creating – whether that be directing, editing, designing, producing or writing. 

If you’re looking to beef up your watchlist and nourish your brain, Three Ways is a must-see and will open your eyes (and mouth) to a new way of consuming horror.

MENACING PRESENCES

Inheritance

Annalise Lockhart’s Afrofuturistic tale of innovation in the face of oppression follows a black family who occupy a cabin in the woods of Vermont. Although rightfully theirs, Norra (Victoria Villier) and her family find their property haunted by white ghosts intent on scaring them off their own land. 

Unlike the traditional fight (exorcism) or flight (move house) narrative seen in so many haunted house horrors, Inheritance subverts expectations by having the family do neither. Instead, thanks to older brother Tucker’s (DeLeon Dallas) scientific knowledge (thereby granting the film a neat sci-fi twist) the family are able to cloak themselves in invisibility – granting them a peace and freedom beyond the colonizing eyes of the ghosts. Beautifully shot with mood-evoking cinematography and genuinely terrifying spirits, Inheritance reflects hopefully on the possibilities that lie ahead in a future free from white supremacy and colonial rule. 

MEDICAL HORROR

They Called Me David

Lindsay Hallam’s They Called Me David harkens back to a time of classic 60s/70s British horror. Dedicated to authenticity by use of Super 8 film and stock footage, this sci-fi short feels like a relic from a time when the threat of nuclear war was very real, and very central to the anxieties of horror.

Narrated by the eponymous David, a lab-created child with extraordinary abilities, the film is as melancholic as it is eerie. David recounts the tale of how he is poked, prodded and probed – his innocent outlook on the world contrasting with the acts performed upon him. When David defends himself, the full extent of his power is realized – and it becomes imperative to keep him under control.

With a minimal budget and huge ambition, Hallam and writer Liam Dunn innovatively use David’s childish point of view as a way to explore themes such as psychokinesis and astral projection, without bank-breaking effects. The fact that David is effective at conjuring up genuine creepiness with a heartbreaking commentary is a testament to the power of creativity, and a palpable love for the genre. 

Hysteria

While other well known online-based horrors such as Host or Unfriended have used screenlife to demonstrate various social ills, Hysteria uses these virtual platforms as a stage rather than a story. 

Innovatively making the best of a bad situation and a wise desire to keep safe, scenes were recorded on Zoom with backgrounds added later. Hysteria tells the story of Cassandra (Wendy Abraham), a chronically ill but undiagnosed woman who, upon expressing her concerns to the aptly named Dr Karen (Morgan Liarah), is greeted with cynical sighs and disbelief. Suffering from an autoimmune disease herself, director Jenna Payne channels the rage and frustration of not being listened to, combined with the difficulties of navigating the spiritual wasteland that is the US healthcare system.

As Hysteria explodes into a fiery, cathartic ending, it’s a testament to the fact that creativity can thrive in any condition.

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