[Editorial] Preview: Fantasia International Film Festival 2021
Quentin Tarantino dubs it “the most important and prestigious genre film festival in the world” and Guillermo Del Toro calls it “a shrine” - Fantasia International Film Festival is a record breaking, career-launching, world-renowned event for genre fans everywhere.
Held physically in Montreal, but streaming online to viewers across the world, this year’s festival sees the celebration of their 25th anniversary – and that was a party that Ghouls Magazine were not going to miss!
Since 1996, Fantasia has premiered horror films that have influenced and transformed the genre – Think Hideo Nakata’s Ringu, Jaume Balaguero’s [REC], Steven R Monroe’s I Spit on your Grave remake, Ti West’s The Innkeepers and Levan Gabriadze’s Unfriended to name but a few - and this year we’ll be covering everything they have to offer us next. Here’s what we’re looking forward to seeing:
The Night House (Dir David Bruckner)
“You won’t find a stronger performance – or a scarier movie – at Fantasia this year!”
Starting off strong we have David Brucker’s second full feature film following the success of The Ritual, and his contributions to horror anthologies V/H/S and Southbound.
The Night House follows schoolteacher Beth (Rebecca Hall) as she navigates her grief at the loss of her husband who unexpectedly commit suicide. Beth experiences ghostly visions and phenomena in their home he left behind, and despite her friends’ warnings, decides to investigate what her husband was doing in secret in the weeks leading to his death.
The trailer was released this week and looks reasonably mind-bendy and terrifying – we’re in!
The Sadness (Dir Rob Jabbaz)
“It really felt like anything could happen. This film was not at the mercy of normal standards of decency. Sitting in the cinema, I actually felt in danger.”
The Sadness follows a young girl in yet another pandemic/virus-based horror scenario, as she fights to reconnect with her lover. Despite what Fantasia refers to as an ‘emo’ title, this one looks set to be as violent and unforgiving as anything before it, and considering the current state of the world, what could be more exciting?
Midnight (Dir Kwon Oh-seung)
“A well-crafted thriller that has fun testing the nerves of even the most seasoned viewers, Midnight will leave you speechless.”
This Korean horror debut from Kwon Oh-Seung follows two young hearing-impaired women as they fight for survival against a charismatic murderer.
Admittedly, this one sounds a little reminiscent of Mike Flanagan’s Hush however, with Korea providing some of the best horror/thrillers of the last decade (The Wailing, Parasite, I Saw the Devil etc) I have every faith that Midnight will be one to watch out for.
Bull (Dir Paul Andrew Williams)
“Simply put, Bull is going to blow your head off.”
Fans of British cult phenomenon Kill List will recognise Neil Maskell in his return as the once-feared gang enforcer Bull. Bull is back after a 10-year period, to terrorize the people he once aligned himself with, in what looks set to be a bloody revenge thriller with incredible effects and a strong emotional undertone.
The Deep House (Dir Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury)
“If you are the kind of deeply committed spectator who holds their breath through every cinematic underwater scene, prepare to… die.”
Fans of extreme horror (and of the Extreme Queen herself - our Editor-in-Chief Zobo) may recognise Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury as the writer/director powerhouse duo behind 2007’s Inside.
This time, they have embarked on a 33-day underwater film shoot to give us a haunted house film like no other. A young couple with a passion for discovering abandoned buildings live-stream themselves exploring a creepy old house in the depths of a lake. Immersed in darkness with a limited air supply - what could possibly go wrong?
Martyrs Lane (Dir Ruth Platt)
“Martyrs Lane is a ghost story that haunts, a heart-breaking fairy tale that whispers its truths in tears and blood.”
Told from the perspective of young girl Leah, Martyrs Lane explores how children perceive the world around them and cope with parents facing unknown trauma.
This one is based on filmmaker Platts own experience with trauma and childhood and appears to be much more emotionally charged than the others on our list.
Coming Home in the Dark (Dir James Ashcroft)
“As thought-provoking as it is devastating, Coming Home in the Dark is a blisteringly tense road movie into hell that plays like a home-invasion thriller set largely in a moving car.”
A family planning to enjoy a weekend away at an isolated coastline are terrorised by a pair of sadistic drifters. Coming Home in the Dark promises 90 minutes of nail-biting tension and unflinching violence in Ashcroft’s feature debut.
Fans of The Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals will recognise the main antagonist as Daniel Gillies, however it’s unlikely we’ll get any melodramatic (and problematic) teenager/vampire love stories here.
Check out the official festival website for the full line up, including guest panels, competitions and tributes. Fantasia 25 runs from August 5th to 25th 2021.
Also, if you’re planning to attend or stream content from Fantasia, don’t forget to let us know what you’re looking forward to seeing – tweet us @ghoulsmagazine!
When people think of horror films, slashers are often the first thing that comes to mind. The sub-genres also spawned a wealth of horror icons: Freddy, Jason, Michael, Chucky - characters so recognisable we’re on first name terms with them. In many ways the slasher distills the genre down to some of its fundamental parts - fear, violence and murder.
Throughout September we were looking at slasher films, and therefore we decided to cover a slasher film that could be considered as an underrated gem in the horror genre. And the perfect film for this was Franck Khalfoun’s 2012 remake of MANIAC.
In the late seventies and early eighties, one man was considered the curator of all things gore in America. During the lovingly named splatter decade, Tom Savini worked on masterpieces of blood and viscera like Dawn of the Dead (1978), a film which gained the attention of hopeful director William Lustig, a man only known for making pornography before his step into horror.
Looking for some different slasher film recommendations? Then look no fruther as Ariel Powers-Schaub has 13 non-typical slasher horror films for you to watch.
Even though they are not to my personal liking, there is no denying that slasher films have been an important basis for the horror genre, and helped to build the foundations for other sub-genres throughout the years.
But some of the most terrifying horrors are those that take place entirely under the skin, where the mind is the location of the fear. Psychological horror has the power to unsettle by calling into question the basis of the self - one's own brain.
On Saturday, 17th June 2023, I sat down with two friends to watch The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) and The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2012). I was nervous to be grossed out (I can’t really handle the idea of eating shit) but excited to cross these two films off my list.
Many of the most effective horror films involve blurring the lines between waking life and a nightmare. When women in horror are emotionally and psychologically manipulated – whether by other people or more malicious supernatural forces – viewers are pulled into their inner worlds, often left with a chilling unease and the question of where reality ends and the horror begins.
Body horror is one of the fundamental pillars of the horror genre and crops up in some form or another in a huge variety of works. There's straightforward gore - the inherent horror of seeing the body mutilated, and also more nuanced fears.
In the sweaty summer of 1989, emerging like a monochrome migraine from the encroaching shadow of Japan’s economic crash, Shin’ya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man shocked and disgusted the (very few) audiences originally in attendance.
Whether it's the havoc wreaked on the human body during pregnancy, emotional turmoil producing tiny murderous humans or simply a body turning on its owner, body horror films tend to be shocking. But while they're full of grotesque imagery, they're also full of thoughtful premises and commentary, especially when it comes to women, trauma, and power.
The human body is a thing of wonder and amazement–the way it heals itself, regenerates certain parts and can withstand pain and suffering to extreme extents. But the human body can also be a thing of disgust and revulsion–with repugnant distortions, oozing fluids and rotting viscera.
This June we’ve been looking at originals and their remakes—and whilst we don’t always agree with horror film remakes, some of them often bring a fresh perspective to the source material. For this episode, we are looking at the remake of one of the most controversial exploitation films, The Last House on the Left (2009).
The year was 1968 and a young man named George A. Romero had shot his first film, a horror movie that would change the world of cinema and not just horror cinema, at that. Night of the Living Dead (1968), would go on to become one of the most important and famous horror films of all time as it tackled not only survival horror but also very taboo and shocking topics like cannibalism and matricide.
In the end I decided to indulge myself by picking eight of my favourite shorts, and choosing features to pair with them that would work well as a double bill. The pairs might be similar in tone, subject or style; some of the shorts are clearly influenced by their paired movie, while others predate the features.
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Films that blend horror with romance always fascinate me; add a niche contemporary setting that I’ve never heard of before and I’m hooked. Cannibal Mukbang was made by Aimee Kuge, a young woman from New York, and I was privileged to spend a little time talking with her over Zoom…
Now it’s time for Soho’s main 2023 event, which is presented over two weekends: a live film festival at the Whirled Cinema in Brixton, London, and an online festival a week later. Both have very rich and varied programmes (with no overlap this year), with something for every horror fan.
In the six years since its release the Nintendo Switch has amassed an extensive catalogue of games, with everything from puzzle platformer games to cute farming sims to, uh, whatever Waifu Uncovered is.
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Have I told you about Mayhem Film Festival before? It’s a favourite event of mine, so I’ve blurted about it in anticipation to many people I know. The event has just passed, so now is the time to gush its praises to those I don’t know.
Loop Track, Thomas Sainsbury’s directorial debut, has such a sparse description that it’s really difficult to know what you’re stepping into when it starts. It’s about Ian (played by the director), who is taking a trek through the New Zealand bush….
For a movie that doesn’t even mention the word “vampire” once throughout the length of the film, Near Dark (1987) is a unique entry in the vampire film genre.
If you like cults, sacrificial parties, and lesbian undertones then Mona Awad’s Bunny is the book for you. Samantha, a student at a prestigious art university, feels isolated from her cliquey classmates, ‘the bunnies’.
Kicking off on Tuesday 17th October, the 2023 edition considers the cinematic, social and cultural significance of the possessed, supernatural and unclean body onscreen.
I was aware of the COVID-19 pandemic before I knew that’s what it would be called, and before it ever affected me personally. My husband is always on top of world events, and in late 2019, he explained what was happening around the globe.
Metal and horror have many aspects in common. The passionate fanbase for both genres attend festivals and has created strong communities. Horror and Metal fans often sport clothing depicting their favourite bands or films, almost like a uniform.
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Now it’s time for Soho’s main 2023 event, which is presented over two weekends: a live film festival at the Whirled Cinema in Brixton, London, and an online festival a week later. Both have very rich and varied programmes (with no overlap this year), with something for every horror fan.
In the six years since its release the Nintendo Switch has amassed an extensive catalogue of games, with everything from puzzle platformer games to cute farming sims to, uh, whatever Waifu Uncovered is.
A Quiet Place (2018) opens 89 days after a race of extremely sound-sensitive creatures show up on Earth, perhaps from an exterritorial source. If you make any noise, even the slightest sound, you’re likely to be pounced upon by these extremely strong and staggeringly fast creatures and suffer a brutal death.
If you like cults, sacrificial parties, and lesbian undertones then Mona Awad’s Bunny is the book for you. Samantha, a student at a prestigious art university, feels isolated from her cliquey classmates, ‘the bunnies’.
The slasher sub genre has always been huge in the world of horror, but after the ‘70s and ‘80s introduced classic characters like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Leatherface, and Jason, it’s not harsh to say that the ‘90s was slightly lacking in the icon department.
Mother is God in the eyes of a child, and it seems God has abandoned the town of Silent Hill. Silent Hill is not a place you want to visit.
Being able to see into the future or back into the past is a superpower that a lot of us would like to have. And while it may seem cool, in horror movies it usually involves characters being sucked into terrifying situations as they try to save themselves or other people with the information they’ve gleaned in their visions.
Both the original Pet Sematary (1989) and its 2019 remake are stories about the way death and grief can affect people in different ways. And while the films centre on Louis Creed and his increasingly terrible decision-making process, there’s no doubt that the story wouldn’t pack the same punch or make the same sense without his wife, Rachel.
I can sometimes go months without having a panic attack. Unfortunately, this means that when they do happen, they often feel like they come out of nowhere. They can come on so fast and hard it’s like being hit by a bus, my breath escapes my body, and I can’t get it back.