And the award for stating the obvious goes to the BBC Guidance team!

Anyway, unlike BBC4 I’m capable of viewing things without Mark Gatiss in (though I did watch him in the new daptation of The First Men in the Moon the other night…) and it’s about time I brought you my brief reviews of the Bram Stoker Film Festival films. I’m doing them in viewing order, skipping those I didn’t see. Well, it wouldn’t really be fair, would it?

I shan’t grade the Hammer films, since I’ve seen several of them before and it doesn’t really feel fair to rate the blockbusters of their day against the micro-budget indie films also on offer. More info about the films can be found here.

The Defiled C

An interesting selection of choices: shot in blue and white (excluding a c-section in colour), with no dialogue whatsoever. A zombie family live a peacful zombie existence in the woods near a big city, until food poisoning kills most of them. Daddy zombie must cut the baby zombie from it’s mother’s belly, and go on an epic quest for survival, during which he befriends a human woman who insists on feeding him chocolate. It was actually pretty sweet and a little sad, but the lack of dialogue made it hard to follow in places. Would probably have had more impact as a short.

Axed A- (won Best Special Effects)

Good, solid, zombie fare. Well written, well acted, and very impressive special effects. Personally, I felt there were a few too many PoV and shakicam shots, but so many as to seriously detract from the film.

Opstandelsen B+

This was let down a little by the poor translation of the subs, which, in all honestly, weren’t strictly necessary. Preachy Cousin, Drug-Addict Cousin, and Wet Girl are trapped in a church (for Drug-Addict Cousin’s brother’s funeral) during a zombie outbreak. Perhaps if the subs had worked better, there would have been some allergory going on regarding The Life Everlasting and the hypocrisy of the churchgoers. Who knows. Even without any deeper meaning, it had some genuinely good scares which made up for the slightly flat characterisation.

Trippin’ A (Best Screenplay Award)

Devi Snively’s (already a festival favourite from last year) first feature film. With the same dark sense of humour as last year’s ‘Death in Charge’ I agree with her own assessment that it may not automatically be classed as horror. I’d put it in the same kind of category as Sean of the Dead, funny throughout with the tone of the humour getting darker as the film progresses. A nice take on ‘teens trapped in a cabin in the wood’, with a lot of meta humour.

Klagger

I missed most of this one, since it turned out to be a very short short! Still, what I saw was well shot and well written.

Recollection B-

As with many shorts (both film and fiction) the twist at the end was a little obvious. Otherwise, it was well made and the twist was nicely led up to.

Amer B+

Oh, very French. Very erotic, very intense, and very confusing! In three parts, the first and last are horror but the middle is entirely sensual. Like a lot of French horror, when it gets down to it there’s sharp knives and place you don’t want them, like eyelids and lips.

Umbrage B-

Apparently an extensive re-edit of an earlier version of the film, which shows in places where the dubbing is a little awkward. Some of the characters are TSTL (“Oh no! My best friend’s cock has been torn off and now he’s dying. Quick, perfectly calm woman who went with him to have sex in the woods. Tell me what to do!”)

Caprice B-

Something about the casting in this felt off to me, except for Caprice herself. The men had that feeling of student film – slapping a suit and glasses on someone doesn’t actually make someone look middle aged. The sound quality let it down as well. It’s a shame, because Caprice herself was a wonderful character.

Up Under the Roof A+

A beautiful story perfectly told. Absolutely a must watch.

The Familiar A (Best Short Award)

Funny and self-aware, replete with pop-culture references, this is a very smart film set it a world I’d like to see explored further.

Angustia A-

Subtitle problems meant the first few minutes were incomprehendible, unfortuately. As with Recollection you could see the twist coming, but it was nicely executed and played nicely with the one room set up.

Charmante Mira A+

Cute and quirky, it’s an absolutely adorable tale of two vampires trying to fit into society.

Red Victoria B+ (Audience Award and Best Picture Award)

As you can see from the grade, I wasn’t quite as impressed as the rest of the audience, though I’d certainly watch the film again. What let it down for me was the poor picture and sound quality; it’s probably better suited to the small screen than the big. There were some great effects, and the story and acting was very entertaining.

Seance A+

It’s like someone made a film just for me. A charmingly period ghost story with some real frights. Like a piece of really good chocolate, it was an old, familiar story but executed perfectly.

Dans Ton Sommeil B+ (Best Director Award)

Ah, the French again. Knifeplay and a non-linear narrative. It felt much longer than it actually was, though not in a bad way; instead, it’s testament to the masterful use of slow-building tension that’s as much a part of the French horror oeuvre as torturing people with sharp implements.

Renfield the Undead B-

To be honest, if I’d known how long this was going to be (almost an hour longer than advertised) I’d have gone to bed. I essentially took a nap during the ‘Renfield’s role in Dracula’ recap. Apparently this was a different edit to the one they originally submitted, hence the discrepancy. It was well made (chatting to the directors later, I learnt the sets were put up in three days!) and had some interesting characters, but they’re still working on the pacing.

Hammer: Greasepaint and Gore

More about the man than the methods, a nice little documentary about Roy Ashton, Hammer’s most famous make up man.

Hammer: Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde

A nice take on the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde story with a sharp sense of humour, a great affection for its setting, and a twist on the sexuality issues in the original story.

Hammer: Dracula Prince of Darkness

Not one of the better Dracula films (or sequels) though there’s a good bit of tongue-in-cheek humour.

Written By A-

Avoid cliche neatly and slickly. Could have used a couple more minutes to slow down the pacing, but otherwise very well made.

Suckathumb A

Stylish, stylised, and fairy tale creepy.

The 3rd Letter A-

One of the only sci fi pieces in the festival. An incredibly well realised universe with beautiful world building. It was a character piece that stopped rather than ended, almost philosophical in tone.

Nickel Children B

An interesting premise and good execution, but it would have done with being a little longer to allow certain scenes to progress more naturally. Nice to see some real steam punk, though it felt more like a prologue than a story in itself.

Devils Creek A-

I’m conflicted on this one, because I didn’t feel it was really horror. Yes, it had horrific scenes, but the overall plot was something else entirely (I won’t spoil it for you). Having said that, it was well written, well made, and well acted, so it would be harsh to give it anything other than the grade it deserves.

The Commune A (Best International Picture Award)

I just showed my housemates the DVD for this film, and they enjoyed it as well. It stands up brilliantly to a second viewing, I have to say. It’s a good, slow creep in the manner of The Wicker Man, the subject area well researched so that little bits peek through in ways the audience might not always appreciate on a first viewing. I’d have liked a slightly bigger climax in terms of set pieces, but it does keep a more personal tone without them.

Hammer: Captain Kronos

Why did Hammer make ‘Dracula Prince of Darkness’ when they had vampire films like this up its sleeve? Doing something different and unusual with the genre, but always keeping Hammer’s sense of humour to hand, Captain Kronos is just begging for a spin off TV series about a small band of people slaying different kinds of vampires while on the run from those who don’t understand their work.

The Wicker Man (Most Iconic and Influential British Horror Film Award)

Robin Hardy said this was the same as the DVD version, but there were some scenes I definitely haven’t seen before. Not to contradict the great man, of course. There’s not a lot to say about The Wicker Man that hasn’t been said before, though I will add that the ten minute preview of The Wicker Tree has left me in a quandry: do I read ‘Cowboys For Christ’ right now this second, as I want to, or wait until Easter to see the film unspoiled?

Hammer: The Devil Rides Out

The Commune kept good company on Sunday with cult films, and I have a special affection for The Devil Rides Out thanks to the demonic car chase. Hammer did village cults very well, and The Devil Rides Out is a good example of one.