In September I had the privilege of volunteering at Fantastic Fest, a genre film festival in Austin, Texas that spotlights lesser-known films and filmmakers. This year, Fantastic Fest brought film and TV from up and comers such as Lance Oppenheim (Primetime) and genre-king and previous Fantastic Fest filmmaker Mike Flanagan (Carrie). As part of writing about my favorite films at the festival, I wanted to highlight films that were a little more under the radar and fell all over my rating spectrum. Below are some of my favorites I caught as a volunteer and I hope you all get the opportunity to check them out!
The Glorious Dead â…—:
Before the festival, I was unfamiliar with the work of the Adams family, a filmmaking family from upstate New York that make indie horror films together. Their most recent film before The Glorious Dead, Mother of Flies, was picked up by Shudder after successful screenings at Fantasia Film Festival. The Glorious Dead is a slow-burn, focusing on unexplainable events in a small-town. The sheriff (Toby Poser) is being pulled in to solve these mysteries, trying to answer questions like ‘Where did all my cows go?’ and ‘Why is blood dripping from my tap?’ The events only become increasingly difficult to understand and with the small resources of a rural mountain town, there’s only so much Sheriff Deb can do.
For an indie horror, I was impressed with the caliber of the prosthetics and makeup. The monsters featured were not only created the most memorable and horrifying moments in the film but really, the most memorable monsters of Fantastic Fest this year. This was an enjoyable watch and reminded me a lot of Fargo, with charm and heart in all its backwater scenery. A drawback of the film is definitely the pacing; the slowness felt true-to-life to me but to others it might feel dull or boring. Ultimately, The Glorious Dead made me anxious to check out the rest of the Adams’s work and excited to see what they’ll bring to Fantastic Fest next!
Red Snow (Punaista lunta) 3.5/5:
Recently acquired by Shudder, Finnish film Red Snow is a delightful, Christmas-cheery good time. The film follows Johanna (Anni Iikkanen), an Edward Cullen obsessed teenaged girl, whose family is celebrating Christmas at her rich grandmother’s mansion. Her father, in an attempt at Yuletide merriment, orders a visit from Santa via SantApp, a new Santa drop-in service. Inviting Santa in their home was their first fatal mistake; Santa is actually a blood-thirsty vampire with an invitation to wreak havoc. In the chaos, Johanna can’t help but wonder – Is this finally her chance to join the ranks of Edward and Bella?
This film leans into the ridiculousness of its premise and it’s the exact type of film that Shudder would acquire (Take from that acquisition what you will, I personally love Shudder films!) Christmas-horror crossovers are also such a fun sub-genre(?) that I think deserve more attention than we give them. Everyone should be re-watching Black Christmas every Christmas season the same way we rewatch Home Alone or Elf and I know I’m adding Red Snow to my personal Christmas movie advent calendar.
3 Weeks After â…˜:
A slow burn from Miroslav Terzić, 3 Weeks After follows high school students in the aftermath of a classmate committing suicide. Unsure how to handle the loss, the school administration proceeds with an overnight class trip where tensions rise, arguments make their way to the surface and the question of who is to blame lingers. On the way to their destination, the bus breaks down causing their trip to be diverted to an unfamiliar area and an off the beaten path hotel. This jarring change of plans adds fuel to the fire, with students and teachers gathering to discuss what has happened, who contributed and who did nothing.
Much of what’s to this film is the feeling – the sense of dread, the impending doom, the feeling of knowing the train will come off the tracks but not knowing when. It also captures the cruelty of high school and the ripple effects of bullying and suicide. The creation of the feeling is the most prominent element, much more so than any dialogue spoken or image that is conjured. A slowness that should feel calming leaves a pit in your stomach that cannot be shaken and even leaves the theatre with you.
The Face of Horror 5/5:
Anna Biller’s (The Love Witch) newest feature, The Face of Horror, was one of the highlights of my festival watches. A highly stylized, technicolor fairytale based on the Japanese ghost story, Yotsuya Kaidan, this film is everything we love about Biller’s previous work, amplified and somehow even campier. After two sisters decide to betrothe themselves to two knights after their father’s death, his death continues to haunt them as their husbands lie, cheat and scam their way to riches. As the twistedness of the fable unfolds, the horror of the film seeps into every color, costume and set piece.
Generating buzz after its TIFF premiere, my expectations going into this the week after TIFF were pretty high and I was not disappointed. Biller struck gold by casting The Little Mermaid’s (2023) Prince Eric, Jonah Hauer-King, whose previous prince-work is apparent. Hauer-King absolutely hits the nail on the head. The ensemble comes together to create a dark tale that deeply contrasts its visual prowess. There’s a lot to enjoy here and I could not recommend this film more to fans of visually stunning films like Donkey Skin and feminist films similar to Biller’s previous work.
Honorable Mention: Corpus
