Sin City Horror Fest 2019: “Best of the Fest”

The following is a completely subjective review of the offerings presented by this year’s third annual SIN CITY HORROR FEST, from the weekend of September 13th to the 15th.

Before we kick this off, I just want to say to the filmmakers who didn’t make this list: Please keep at it and keep submitting your work. Not everything grabs everyone the same way, and your next submission may be the one that makes the list next time!

SHORTS: TOP TEN

These aren’t ranked in order of “Best-To-Worst”; they are, in my mind, the ones that still lingered with me even a day or two after seeing them, and they deserve what I thought should be the Top Ten Spots, if I were judging.

1. CERDITA (PIGGY) – WINNER: BEST SHORT; BEST ACTRESS: LAURA GALAN

Whether or not Spanish director CARLOTA M. PEREDA intentionally left off the English subtitles for this one, it didn’t need them, anyway. The gist of what’s happening is all too clear in any language.

For Sara, cruelly nicknamed “Cerdita”, it’s an act of sheer bravery to put on a two-piece bathing suit and dare to venture into the scummy waters of the local swimming pool, and we soon find out why. She’s mercilessly teased and pretty much assaulted by a pretty, petty group of “mean girls”; probably the same ones she goes to school with. Meanwhile, unnoticed by any of them, a serial killer has just finished up with his latest victim – and he’s looking for more.

This one goes exactly where you think it will, and yet the ending is oddly satisfying. It would certainly make a dynamite PSA about bullying.

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for CERDITA (PIGGY), visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c643XSTJoCU)

2. ATOMIC ED – Director NICOLAS HUGON’S short is a nifty French-Canadian live-action “graphic novel”, in the vein of TURBO KID, with a little STRANGER THINGS mixed in. Ed is an engineering savant and a martial arts enthusiast. He’s also in love with the girl who used to be his babysitter when he was much younger, but now she’s on the arm of the local asshole bully. But the outbreak of a sudden, unexplainable and deadly virus is about to turn Ed into the kind of guy he didn’t think he could be…and turn his friends and everyone else into something that can’t be classified as human.

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for ATOMIC ED, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya3YDlM860o)

3. ZEBRA – Like one of Stephen King’s funnier dark stories. Think of ABFAB’S Patsy and Edina as two old broads in their eighties, living in a nursing home, and with a yen to commit serial murder, make them Aussies, and you’ve got it. Director Peter Spann has made an incredibly funny black comedy that warrants development into a feature, especially with the two female leads, who are hysterical.

(To see ZEBRA online, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=974OgMgPGic)

4. THE DARLINGS – WINNER: BEST SCORE

“The Darlings” seem to be an edgier, live-action version of Josie and the Pussycats: an all-female glam punk band who are always hungry for performing, partying…and pizza. On an appropriately creepy full-moon night, their manager has booked them to play at a private party in a big secluded mansion…coincidentally on the same night that a former singer/songwriter-turned-cult leader, “Cheer-Up Charlie” (sound familiar?) has just broken out of the mental facility where he was imprisoned.

You won’t know where this is going, until it gets there. Seasoned horror vets won’t be all that surprised by the climax, but it’s still a lot of fun…and yeah, it won the Best Score award for a good reason!

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for THE DARLINGS, visit https://vimeo.com/313943557)

5. SAIGONE – Sometimes, a short will give you some kind of back story to explain WTF is going on, and other times, you get ‘nada’. SAIGONE is one of the latter kind, and all the better for it. Exquisitely shot and edited, it’s the tale of girl-meets-boy…both in separate cages, out in the middle of nowhere. Their captor? An elderly guy with the coldest eyes and most evil disposition you could possibly imagine…when he’s not rocking out to Vietnamese pop songs. Yes, SERIOUSLY.

6. SHE MUST VANISH – Writer/director KYLE MARTELLACCI, who also did the nice short I MAKE CORPSES, which you can see at PromoteHorror.com, hits one of my sweet spots with this one. I LOVE witchy thrillers where spells are cast for good, or for evil, or both in some kind of battle for power, and this is the best of its kind at this festival. So well-acted, directed and shot, it’s another one of those you hope at some point will be given the rare opportunity for development into a full-length feature.

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for SHE MUST VANISH, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iblTL3fqhm8)

7. ALWAYS – WINNER: BEST DIRECTOR, SAM ZAPIAN; BEST ACTOR, DAVID KURTZ; BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, RYAN GALVAN

A nightmarish, poignant cinematic metaphor for what it’s like to deal with adult diabetes. Fest winner for Best Cinematography – with very good reason.

8. BOO – No, “BOO” isn’t a ghost story. It’s a tale about addiction, and the woman in this case – her nickname being ‘Boo’ – coming from a meeting, where she’s just received a SEVEN-YEAR chip for maintaining the credo of “IT WORKS IF YOU WORK IT.” But of course, on a night she should be reveling in this achievement with her friends from the group, Boo is about to face the biggest challenge to her sobriety EVER. Can she deal with it? You’ll just have to watch it to find out.

9. HOUSE HUNTING – WINNER: BEST EDITING

This is one that goes beyond found-footage…and it’s terrifying as hell. Built on the premise of the onset of a new internet video phenomenon: people who sneak into other people’s homes and use cameras to photograph them in secret. It’s not just home invasion, it’s worse – it’s a complete violation of personal boundaries, that you don’t even KNOW are being violated. Until your friends tell you to go check out YouTube, and you find yourself the star of a video you didn’t even know was being taped. The premise is so creepily compelling, that this one has now been picked up by Warner Brothers for possible development into a feature!

(Unfortunately, no reference links were available for this entry at time of publication. The filmmakers DID announce that a feature-length movie based on the short may be soon released!)

10. THE MUFFIN MAN – WINNER: BEST KILLER

Remember when Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez put out GRINDHOUSE, and they did a contest for Fake Grindhouse Trailers, the best of which would be featured as the “opener” for the film? (The original winner, I believe, was HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN by Jason Eisener, which eventually became the Rutger Hauer movie.) Well, if this gem isn’t enough to warrant bringing that contest back, I don’t know WTF is. It’s as brutal, nasty, corny, over-the-top…EVERYTHING you’d want in a grindhouse-style trailer! Do YOU know “THE MUFFIN MAN?” If you do, don’t ask him for anything that’s “gluten-free.” Just pray that what he bakes for you is DEATH-FREE!

(Unfortunately, no reference links were available for this entry at time of publication.)

THE NOTABLES

AFTER THE FLESH – Maybe it was literal, but I didn’t see it that way. I took this one to be the story of how when a relationship dies, sometimes it’s like the person themselves dies, yet continues to haunt your life if you don’t have the ability to let go. And also, how not being able to move on can eventually destroy your chance at a new life…and you might be stuck in the past, forever.

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for AFTER THE FLESH, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APlUmuDuqs4)

GRAVE EXPECTATIONS – You might recall some years back, when filmmakers and studios were trying to make alternative historic timeline horror a “thing,” with movies like PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES and ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER. Well, this is kind of Charles Dickens, by way of Sondheim’s SWEENEY TODD, except only in the gore sense…it’s NOT a musical. But it definitely is black comedy…this time around, it’s more like PRIDE AND PREJUDICE WITH CADAVERS THAT AREN’T QUITE DEAD.

(Unfortunately, no reference links were available for this entry at time of publication.)

IN HER SHOES – Evil kids are always guaranteed to be creepy…but evil DEAD kids? Yeah, happy nightmares with THAT. In this one, a young girl, visiting the grave of a relative with her mother, soon wanders off, lured away by what appears to be the ghost of a little girl…who possesses a very special pair of shoes. HOW special? You’ll know when you see it. This brings to mind those really good “blackout sketches” from Rod Serling’s NIGHT GALLERY series.

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for IN HER SHOES, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-9Vz4RBU7I)

NEPENTHES – Remember the movie THE RUINS, and the implications of that ending? What would happen if those murderous, carnivorous and frighteningly sentient plants got out into the world and really started doing their thing? THIS is one of the scenarios that present that possibility…and it’s creepy, gross and scary as F$%!. 



(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for NEPENTHES, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yiFRg0IL-0&fbclid=IwAR0NpiiS2AE1FQjB824pGpQAzHjFZ8dI-7GsIE5rqfYaVLRhzcwKJKAK1qY)

ROOMMATE – Once upon a time, any horror film with an all-black cast was highly unusual, unless it was “blaxploitation”. Kudos to director for completely changing the game up, with a scenario that would fit ANY cast, regardless of the ethnic background. Two roommates go through the usual changes that roommates will – especially female roommates. Except add an extra sinister, TWILIGHT ZONE-type edge to that, and you’re there. Nicely done by the cast and director, and an ending that I’m sure Jordan Peele would approve of…

(Unfortunately, no reference links were available for this entry at time of publication.)

THE DEVIL’S PASSENGER – Plays straight up like one of those old Seventies “Movie Of The Week” entries, except this one has today’s cell phones! A woman is driving in back of a beaten-up van, when suddenly, she sees the desperate face of a woman in the back window, screaming for help. If you saw that, what would YOU do? Well, you’ll get a look at what she does…and how no good deed truly goes unpunished…

(To see THE DEVIL’S PASSENGER online, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHMm6cEdfwY)

WICKEN – A simple tale, terrifyingly told, in the vein of that great old classic thriller, NIGHT OF THE DEMON…with a little 21st Century spin on it. A young woman is spending “face time” on her laptop with her brother, when he does the unthinkable. What seems like just very weird behavior at first, soon begins to make sense as she is menaced by a spectral figure that is going to do her some real damage, unless she can bring herself to repeat her brother’s actions. It’s like THE RING, but “streaming” instead of on VHS.

(Unfortunately, no reference links were available for this entry at time of publication.)

CLOSURE – We’ve seen it before: the triumphant police detective confronts the vile, unrepentantly evil serial murderer she’s finally going to bring to justice. This guy doesn’t have the suave cultured manner of Hannibal Lecter, but he’s not stupid. And worse, he’s willing to do anything to make sure that his captor’s victory is short-lived. ANYTHING.

It has the look and feel of something weird you’d find at an old, dusty Eighties video store. Great score to go with, and appropriate performances from the entire cast, complete with a nice little twist that may be unexpected for both horror AND non-horror vets!

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the teaser trailer for CLOSURE, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMZx5ibLytY&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2TqFdEth_h4r2kJJJ1k6s5D7yUsP-DlxdTOXmf_6kD-BAp_VuhTaQn3L8)

DEATH AND TACOS – I don’t know if a lot of horror filmmakers were raised on SNL, but here’s another short that MIGHT have made the show…if they left the aspect of cannibalism intact. And connected to a FUNERAL, no less. That’s all I really should say about this one. Just…watch it.

(Unfortunately, no reference links were available for this entry at time of publication.)

SHE FELL – A concerned husband takes his wife to the ER, her face bleeding. With this title, I guess I don’t have to tell you much more about what this one has in mind. But I love domestic abuse stories, especially when there’s a nasty little surprise in store…for the ABUSER. And that surprise, in this case, might be showing us the dawn of a brand new horror icon. (I certainly hope so!)

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the preview trailer for SHE FELL, visit https://vimeo.com/350354831?fbclid=IwAR1ta4svgS1cT3OyB6Yfuh1pvg62m5m9b4MjV9NmijDc1ryTHMs70DAaOdQ)

HOW TO BE A GOOD HOUSEWIFE – Director/writer read an article that outlined exactly what the title of this movie implies…and thought about how absolutely fucking NUTS it would drive a Fifties housewife, to have to try and comply with every single “tip” the piece outlined. And from that thought, this short was born, and it is WONDERFUL. Hearkening back to the good old days of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, when video director James Signorelli, amongst others, made funny, edgy video pieces for the show.

THE DESECRATED – WINNER: BEST SOUND DESIGN

Because of a glitch in the initial showing of this short, it was confusing as hell for the audience, who thought it was some kind of art-school exercise. Once things were fixed, though, what was finally revealed was a nightmarish scenario on par with LAST SHIFT or THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE. A young morgue attendant soon discovers that on this night, nothing at work is as it should be, to put it mildly. Not that cadavers could ever be “happy”, but these ones are pissed AF.

(At this writing, a trailer for THE DESECRATED is not available online. But the audience reactions at other festivals have been very similar, and you can see some of that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOyvD7zwSx8)

HIGH DESERT HELL – THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE…relocated to the desert. Except no chainsaws needed here. The creepy atmosphere of old-timey houses, abandoned and otherwise, and the appearance of a wild-eyed, aging religious zealot, are more than ample red flags that should’ve told these four friends, that a vacay in Las Vegas would’ve been much smarter…AND safer.

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for HIGH DESERT HELL, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-exrPg2TDU)

NIGHT TIDE – In the midst of his deteriorating relationship, a man is seemingly trapped in an alternate universe inside his house, where he’s being haunted…by his dead wife. But the question is: what is he seeing? The premonition of a horrific tragedy to come? Or has it already happened?

(NIGHT TIDE can be seen on the home page of writer/director RICHARD MILLER’S YouTube channel:
 https://www.youtube.com/user/godmiller/featured)

BRUTAL REALTY INC. – WINNER: BEST SCREENPLAY, JOSEPH MUELLER; BEST KILL (SIGN STAB)

Black-metal daemon THE SUMMONER, (London May), a drummer with killer skills on the skins, nevertheless has become disillusioned with his lot in life…or is that more “undeath”? In any case, he’s as dejected as anyone without a soul can be and feels like his missing out somehow. So, he decides to pursue his TRUE passion…SELLING REAL ESTATE! (Cue guitar squeals here)

But certain people and obstacles stand in his way, and he decides that’s not going to stop him. A positive short about never giving up on your dreams, and while going after them, NEVER compromise on being the best YOU that you can be. Oh, yeah, with metal, gore and dismemberment thrown in with the message, too. The Summoner is a great character…the male answer to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, perhaps? MAN, if the two of them could team up!

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for BRUTAL REALTY INC., visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8SZQOyvNho)

FILTH – WINNER: SPECIAL FX

I always tip my hat to filmmakers with big-budget aspirations, who choose to fulfill that need to tell their stories via animation. The development of the characters and art direction is nothing short of outstanding, in this shockingly violent tale of FRANKENSTEIN-gone-neo-film noir.

(THIS FILM CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for FILTH, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jooGkw0Scd8&feature=youtu.be)

FIVE COURSE MEAL – Absolutely Cronenbergian in its concept and execution (pun intended), a loving young couple decides to participate together, in a mysterious experiment that seems simple enough on the face of it. By the end, however, you may find yourself in need of a barf bag, as the movie explores the nature and the boundaries of addiction, gluttony, and what humans are willing to do to fulfill a driving need for “MORE”, once it overwhelms any other sensibility. Great across the board, but extra kudos for the stomach-churning special effects.

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for FIVE COURSE MEAL, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTAlTDqYnkI)

DECOYED – A spooky short that can be interpreted a number of ways, like any piece of art. What I took away from it was that it’s the story of a guy trying to outrun old age, and the fear of not being able to retire to the kind of life he wants, as his twilight years close in. You’ll have to decide for yourself what YOU think is going on.

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for DECOYED, visit https://vimeo.com/325823685?fbclid=IwAR0afC73zXbz0xcvpoOR9OKS6unKwgSr8_9C_r2fcibobQ0Yn72QH29VIVs)

SURVIVOR GIRL – Ever wonder what the life of a “Final Girl” from FRIDAY THE 13TH or HALLOWEEN must be like? Even if you haven’t, this one answers that question…and you may never look at your favorite surviving heroine from a horror franchise quite the same way again.

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for SURVIVOR GIRL, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a6qIZvqnJ0)

WINDOW DRESSING – The premise is simple enough: a pretty young girl responds to a “Help Wanted” sign in a shop window. The proprietor, who seems nice enough, has one simple request: redo the window display for the shop, which needs an upgrade. Easy peasy, right? NOPE. Be careful what jobs you decide to take on…some require a lot more than the usual forty-hours a week…

(To see WINDOW DRESSING online, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj3ZNsWLwlE)

OCULARIS – A young girl wakes inside her car in a building’s parking lot. Slowly, she begins to piece together that some kind of national emergency has happened…something that’s possibly viral. Meanwhile, back at home, her father, mother and sister have already discovered that the event is far, far worse than any airborne toxins or viruses.

(Unfortunately, no reference links were available for this entry at time of publication.)

THE FEATURES

SCHFLV has a limit on features, so it’s MUCH easier to rate them. I was unable to stay for the Sunday night screening of TABITHA: WITCH OF THE ORDER, so unfortunately, that’s a title I’ll have to see and review separately at a later date. But as far as the ones I DID see, I can honestly rank them in order of the impression they made on me.

#5. NEVER HIKE ALONE (A FRIDAY THE 13TH FAN FILM) – Directed by VINCENTE DI SANTI

Say the phrase “fan film”, and usually it’s enough to inspire cringing and lots of eye-rolling responses, especially when they’re as awful as they can possibly get. But good news! NEVER HIKE ALONE isn’t one of them!

A pleasant diversion from the recent legal SNAFUS entangling the FRIDAY franchise, director Di Santi’s “love letter to Jason Voorhees” stars DREW LEIGHTY as social media sensation “Kyle McLeod”, whose specialty is taking on the Great Outdoors, and photographing his adventures for his fans in real time. His latest hike takes him into uncharted territory, where he decides to cut his traveling time in half, through an area clearly marked with a “NO TRESSPASSING” sign. (There’s Red Flag Numero UNO.) It gets really dicey, once he realizes that the actual place he’s ventured into is…the spot where a certain camp was once located, and has been attached to some pretty gruesomely legendary stories…stories which he soon discovers were all too TRUE.

With a minimal cast (including a franchise icon whom fans will LOVE seeing), Di Santi manages to keep the suspense taut and gets maximum scares out of the scenario that don’t feel cheap or unearned. He also does triple duty here, not just by writing and directing, but also by putting his own spin on Jason, in a way that other “Jason” actors (especially Kane Hodder) would gladly stamp with their ‘Seal Of Approval’. And the ending implies a possible sequel…one I personally wouldn’t mind seeing one little bit. New Line could do a lot worse than to give Vincente a shot at doing whatever the next installment in the franchise is…he’s certainly proven himself with a film that excels beyond what normally passes for a “fan film”.

(THIS FILM IS STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for NEVER HIKE ALONE, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnJBgzez2ZQ)

#4. THE HEAD

Directed by MICHAEL KEENE

WHERE do I even begin?

WARHOL. WATERS. WISEAU. Names that you’ve come to know, and even love, as masters in the area of “outre” cinema. MULTIPLE MANIACS. DESPERATE LIVING. PINK FLAMINGOS. FLESH. TRASH. HEAT. BAD. THE ROOM. Titles that have stood the test of time as some of the most genuinely out-there, notable pieces of ‘fringe’ filmmaking that people have written dissertations and even their Masters’ thesis about. Even that last one, where Wiseau seemed to come in late on being “IN” on the joke.
Well, there’s no denying it – writer/director Michael Keene is in on it from the very beginning, and if you’re not familiar with any of the cinematic artists I just mentioned, chances are that his new film, THE HEAD, won’t be for you. AT ALL. Note I said that in caps. There’s a good reason behind that. No matter if you can recite the entire script of FEMALE TROUBLE, you still may not be ready for what Keene has in store for you. But you’ll certainly know it within the first few minutes.

Think of a film like Alex Cox’s REPO MAN. Slava Tsukerman’s cult masterpiece, LIQUID SKY. John McNaughton’s trippy, blackly comic sci-fi horror opus THE BORROWER.

Now, try to imagine what any of those films would have looked like, if the filmmakers responsible for them didn’t have a dime for a budget. And no, I don’t mean barely two pennies to rub together. I mean ZIP, NADA, NYET. Oh, and the only thing they had to shoot their projects on was a VHS camcorder from the Eighties.

If you can envision that, you ALMOST have Keene’s film in mind.

And in spite of the fact that the movie on the face of it seems absolutely pointless to the very edge of absurdity, it DOES have a plot. And that absurdity IS THE POINT.

Boy-meets-head. Boy-falls-in-love-with-head. Head-completely-ruins-boy’s life. Wash, rinse, repeat.

And that’s still oversimplifying the glorious OUTRAGEOUSNESS of Keene’s vision. Besides being a loving tribute to all of the ballsy lensers of the Eighties, who had nothing but a vision and let nothing stop them in the realization of it, THE HEAD pops a big, punked-out middle finger up at big-budget, pretty-to-look-at, completely empty multiplex blockbusters, by DARING to be, for lack of a better way of putting it – an “anti-movie” movie.

And showcasing some of the best punk thrash cuts that Las Vegas has to offer, it may not have won the Festival award for Best Score, but I sure as hell want that soundtrack!

#3. “Z” – WINNER: BEST FILM, BEST SCORE (BRADLEY STUCKEL), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, BEST SOUND DESIGN

Directed by BRANDON CHRISTENSEN

The frustrated film marketer in me IMMEDIATELY came up with a tagline for the poster, if there would have been one: “Some Childish Things WILL NOT Be Put Away.”) If you like “evil child” thrillers like INSIDIOUS, ORPHAN or THE PRODIGY, Z will be right up your alley.

The son of two typical parents (aren’t they always?), are amused at first when their boy develops a relationship with a new imaginary playmate he calls “Z”. But amusement turns to grave concern and then outright terror, when “Z” begins to bring out unpredictably violent tendencies in their little boy. Tendencies that indicate that “Z” might be a demon…or maybe something even worse.

An excellent, terrifying psychological thriller with some unexpected twists, “Z” is hardly the first outing for director Christensen, who has scared the pants off of horror fans before with STILL/BORN, and was one of the creative minds behind Colin Minihan’s excellent retake on the zombie apocalypse thriller, IT STAINS THE SANDS RED.

((Unfortunately, no reference links were available for this entry at time of publication. But it has been announced that “Z” will be released to VOD streaming platforms in December of this year.)

#2. ONE MUST FALL – WINNER: BEST DIRECTOR; BEST SPECIAL FX; BEST ACTOR & BEST KILLER (BARRY PIACENTE)

Directed by ANTONIO PANTOJA

You may remember from some years back, an excellent and very weird film called CURDLED. In that movie, a woman working on a crime-scene cleaning crew developed a morbid and growing romantic fascination with the serial killer whose messes they were hired to clean up.

ONE MUST FALL puts a very different spin on that scenario. Two down-on-their-luck office drones replace their dead-end jobs by signing up with a crime scene cleaning crew. But a question not asked very often does arise: what if during the process of cleaning up, they discover that the perpetrator of a crime has never left the crime scene?

They soon learn the terrifying answer, as they’re preyed upon by the city’s first reported serial murderer. And he is one for the books.

The cast is game for all of the grueling paces that director Pantoja puts them through, but you won’t walk away from this one without the memory of actor Barry Piacente stained on your brain indefinitely, as the grandiose and remorseless serial murderer who gets off on torture and murder…and those who cross his path will be lucky if he gets right to the ‘murder’ part!

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT, BUT HAS BEEN SET FOR RELEASE. To see the trailer for ONE MUST FALL, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAT6l5npavI)

#1. STRAIGHT EDGE KEGGER – WINNER: BEST SCREENPLAY (JASON ZINK); BEST KILL (DEATH BY BEER BONG)

Directed by JASON ZINK

There’s nothing I love better than a movie that truly takes me into cultures with their own languages and customs that I’ve never been aware of…especially when they’re right here in our very own country. And STRAIGHT EDGE KEGGER does that and then some.

As an MTV-head, I know my punk ‘basics’. The Clash, Blondie, The B-52’s, The Go-Gos, DEVO, most of the bands that started out punk and eventually went “new wave”. I learned more later by seeking out the more hardcore but still well-known groups: The Sex Pistols, The Dead Kennedys, Human Sexual Response, L7, Black Flag, etc.

I’d heard quite a bit about the sub-genres and the sub-genres of those, but I knew nothing about the “straight edge” movement before this film. So I was surprised to learn a few things, especially in the form of a punk ‘drama’ that takes a turn into a survival thriller.

Brad (CORY KAYS) is the co-founder of a “straight edge” group within the local punk scene. For the uneducated – of which I was one – “straight edgers” are about celebrating the music, without the anarchistic, nihilistic trappings: no booze, no drugs, no white supremacist skinheads, no assholes, period. It all seems to be on the up-and-up at first, but the co-founder/now-ringleader James (JULIO MONTENEGRO JR. in a riveting performance) has taken things to a ‘zero-tolerance’, almost fascist level, even beating up on the lead singer of a band while onstage, when they decline his request not to play a song called “Boozehound.”

I recently saw a film whose tagline was “Be careful what you believe in.” I think that sentiment would’ve been more fitting for STRAIGHT EDGE, considering the surprising turn the movie takes.

Increasingly disenchanted with James’s growing militancy in actions and attitude, Brad falls in with unrepentant partyers Sean (SEAN JONES, who could be the older, boozier brother of Zach Galifianakis), and “Maybe” (EVEY REIDY), who Brad falls hard for. Seeing his protégé “going over to the dark side” snaps something off in James, and this is where the film takes its most frightening turn, when the straight-edge leader demands proof of loyalty in ways that will turn deadly for a lot of people.

So maybe the line I mentioned needs just one small adjustment: “Be careful WHO you believe in.” STRAIGHT EDGE KEGGER turns quickly into a riff on YOU’RE NEXT and GREEN ROOM, but in a more terrifying way. Because the danger and violence comes not from people who you expect it from – home invaders or Nazi skinheads – but from the kind of guys you’d LEAST expect it from, all in the name of ‘keeping it clean.’

The performances here are great, with Kays, Reidy, Jones and especially Montenegro being the standouts. Writer/director Zink is surefooted in both his writing and direction, setting up a scenario that is scarily realistic, with a message that couldn’t be more relevant than now.

I predict that STRAIGHT EDGE KEGGER will be one of those films that soon develops a very strong and growing cult following, once it goes into wide release.

(THIS FILM IS CURRENTLY STILL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. To see the trailer for STRAIGHT EDGE KEGGER, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCruOb4CYZg)

(NOTE: The only feature I didn’t get a chance to view was TABITHA: WITCH OF THE ORDER, which won Best Editing and Best Actress (Eliza Jacobson). I hope to catch this when it becomes available online!)

ALSO: We were given the privilege of a ‘sneak peek’ at a project spearheaded by Fest co-creator/producer Drew Marvick, called “THE TWELVE DEATHS OF CHRISTMAS.” It’s an anthology piece, with 12 shorts that carry through the theme of featuring characters from the song “The Twelve Days Of Christmas”, or are holiday-themed in other ways. As much as I’d love to discuss it here, right now it’s still a WIP (Work In Progress), so I’ll hold off commenting for now, and wait until the finished version arrives to review it on its own.)

Article by: Sam Glass Jr.

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