Tag Archives: Brooklyn Ewing

Nightmares Film Festival

Horror and Heavy Metal Collide

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If It Bleeds

Screening Friday, October 17 at 6:30pm

by Brooklyn Ewing

Horror anthologies hold a special place in my heart, and If It Bleeds packs three individual segments full of iconic horror appearances, and awesome makeup FX. 

In the wraparound story, a hungry young news reporter, Diane Winters, (Terrifier’s Catherine Corcoran), and her cameraman, chase a series of brutal murders during a hectic day hunting down a lead story. 

Director and writer Matthew Hersh packs this film full of killer actors like Dee Wallace (Cujo, ET, The Howling) Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, Hellboy), Bonnie Aarons (The Nun and the Nun 2), John Kassir (Tales from the Crypt), Russell Todd (Chopping Mall, Friday the 13th Part II), and Khleo Thomas (Holes and Roll Bounce). 

If It Bleeds is filled with faces you’ll recognize from the horror and heavy metal communities. It was awesome to see metal aficionado Jose Mangin in the segment featuring the voice of John Kassir. Kassir really nails Chip, the puppet. It’s such a magical moment hearing him do another horror voice. The segments are so stacked with up and coming horror talent that I can’t even name drop everyone appropriately. 

From the soundtrack to each and every segment, If It Bleeds gives you all the gore and killer stories you could ask for. This one is so fun, and is perfect for horror and metal fans. Hersh has definitely me super excited to see what he does next. 

5 stars, because Chip said so!

Nightmares Film Festival

A Video Rental Store Dream

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Blood Barn

Screens Friday, October 17 at 8:30pm

by Brooklyn Ewing

I have always wondered what it felt like to see 1981’s The Evil Dead before it was released to the world, and now I kind of feel like I do thanks to Gabriel Bernini’s first feature film, Blood Barn. 

Blood Barn isn’t perfect, or super polished, like most new horror making its way onto the screen. Honestly, it doesn’t need to be because it’s so creative, and feels like something special you’d pull from the shelf in a mom and pop video store in 1983 because the box art was so cool. 

In the film, a group of friends find themselves traveling to an old farmhouse to have some fun when they accidentally conjure up some old demons, and all hell breaks loose.  I almost lost my mind when I saw Rachel, played by Euphoria actress Chloe Cherry, show up in the car ride. She’s just an absolute vibe in everything she does. The other cast members fit right in and create such a cool group of quirky, vintage friends that I want to hang out with. 

This throw back to 70s and early 80s, camp horror uses so many out-of-the-box cinematic tricks to create their vintage atmosphere on a shoe string budget. I found myself wanting to immediately sit down with Bernini and the team to ask how they pulled off so many of the shots. The cinematography in the opening alone fills me with nostalgia, and makes me feel like a kid again sneaking out to the living room to watch a movie on USA Up All Night with Rhonda Shear and, the late, Gilbert Gottfried. 

Blood Barn oozes vibes from classics like The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, Night of the Demons, and even has small nods to things like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Prom Night, New Year’s Evil, Blood Lake and Sleepaway Camp. 

Don’t go into Blood Barn expecting to see a perfectly written studio film. It’s not that. This movie celebrates creative indie filmmaking from a bygone era at its best. Have some fun with this one. It’s packed with all the nostalgia you can handle, and all the old school makeup FX that an 80s horror kid could dream of. 

Old school horror fans, this one’s for you. 

Elvira would give it 5 stars, so I will too.

Outtakes

In and Out

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Just Breathe

by Brooklyn Ewing

Given the chance to see actor Kyle Gallner in a movie, I will always flock to it. Gallner’s ability to make someone fall in and out of love with a character is something special. In Just Breathe, he brings his A game.

Directed by newcomer Paul Pompa III, Just Breathe offers up a game of cat and mouse that keeps you guessing, and yelling at the screen. 

After serving a year in jail for assault, Nick Bianco (Gallner) sets out to reunite with the love of his life, Mel (Amyri Crutchfield). He discovers that she has a new admirer named Chester (Shawn Ashmore), who also happens to be Nick’s parole officer, setting off his anger issues all over again.

Just Breathe sees William Forsythe’s return to the screen as Tony, Nick’s deadbeat dad. Forsythe brings so much life to this rough and tumble character. I loved to hate him. 

Gallner and Crutchfield are great together, and watching them makeup and breakup keeps you praying their relationship can survive Chester’s romantic, and offbeat, advances. 

Fans of traditional Lifetime movies will love this one, and it has the polish to hit the big screen. The acting is the star of this thriller, and I’m excited for folks to see it so we can all talk about how much we hate Chester together. 

Just Breathe is another Kyle Gallner classic to add to the collection. Make sure to give it a watch. 

Nightmares Film Festival

Mommy Issues on Steroids

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The Matriarch

by Brooklyn Ewing

Have you ever found yourself gripping the edge of your seat while watching a movie? Well, Jayden Creighton’s The Matriarch had me holding on for dear life. 

The film kicks off when 13 year old Missy Taylor, (Juliette Greenfield) kills her addict mother’s nasty boyfriend in self defense, and is subsequently terrorized by her very own mother all night long. This horror thriller offers up some incredible cat and mouse moments that had me yelling at the screen. 

Fans of The Evil Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Shining will love spotting Creighton’s horror homages. I found myself excitedly watching for more influences as the film progressed. If you love the tension in movies like Hush or Don’t Breathe, then you will absolutely fall in love with The Matriarch. 

Creighton created a mother we don’t want to love, and it was a blast rooting for Missy as she does everything in her power to survive the night. Newcomer Greenfield knocks it out of the park. Taking on such strong material and really going for it is hard for any actor, and she nailed it.

Kate Logan tackles her character Annette, the mother, like a monster. If you love the jacked-up delivery of Bruce Campbell and Jack Nicholson, then get ready to see Logan take it there. She’s a true talent who isn’t afraid to push this movie into the absurd and terrifying. It’s fun to watch her work. 

The Matriarch features a killer score that reminded me of classics like The Evil Dead, and a lot of 90s and early 2000s horror. It moves the already quick paced flick to full fledged heart attack mode. This would be a really fun movie to watch in the dark with a group of friends who scream during great jump scares. 

If you have Mommy issues, or just love a great game of hide and seek on the big screen, then The Matriarch is a do not miss. 

New In Theaters

Unhappy Birthdays & Home Invasions

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Everyone Is Going to Die

by Brooklyn Ewing

Daniel (Brad Moore) is a wealthy entrepreneur looking to reconnect with his teen daughter, Imogen (Gledisa Arthur), on her birthday. The angst-ridden party is interrupted when a woman in a mask appears in the yard of their secluded home.  

Director Craig Tuohy has created an uncomfortable thriller reminiscent of some of 2005-2010’s most popular French horror releases. Everyone Is Going to Die is stress-inducing, and filled with dread, and some of the scenes will be a tough, and triggering, watch for a lot of viewers. 

The cinematography is solid, and adds to the overall tension as the plot uncoils like a venomous snake waiting to catch you off guard. Actress Jaime Winstone is dialed in as Comedy, the masked intruder who has a lot to say about the patriarchy, and overtly wealthy men. She goes full out offering up a villain we love to hate. 

The film isn’t afraid to show, instead of tell, and the special fx makeup goes all in. One scene in particular had me yelling out loud at how real it looked. The masks created for the film are unsettling, bringing a level of tension to the first half as well.  

This movie isn’t for everyone. If you lean toward movies like Last House on the Left, The Strangers, Inside, or Funny Games, then you will not want to miss this. But viewer be warned, there are some very unsettling scenes that make this one harder to recommend to less seasoned horror fans. The twists and turns will satisfy viewers who love to play detective, and the creepy tension, and gore, will keep horror fans watching. 

New In Theaters

Snuff Films and Cats

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Freelance

by Brooklyn Ewing

As a fan of early 2000s horror thrillers, I found myself feeling nostalgic as I watched Freelance.

The opening credits won me over immediately giving Seven vibes with a touch of 8mm, and Feardotcom. 

Katie (Nicole Pastor), a freelance video editor, is in desperate need of a job. Her life seems to be falling apart, until she receives an anonymous offer to edit a bizarre video clip. This snuff film style horror movie clip comes with a lot of cash, and Katie is facing eviction.  She spends most of her time between various men who think they are saving her, as she struggles to make ends meet editing pornography. When she has to decide how far she will go to keep her lights on things start to take a turn for the worst, and that’s when the viewer gets to start playing detective. 

Freelance, from Melbourne-based filmmaker John Balazs, looks gorgeous. The rich color grading, and thoughtful shot choices make this one more than worth giving a chance. 

Pastor is great as the out of work, and obviously talented, Katie. Her love for her cat and hatred for her nasty landlord are extremely relatable, and help make her even more likable. Her ability to attract successful men and use them for free meals and advice helps amp up the tension when we can’t seem to pinpoint who is hiring Katie for these seedy editing jobs.  

For folks who work in freelance type jobs, this one will feel very relatable, especially if you’ve taken on gigs you weren’t proud of, and your parents are always asking if you got a new job. I definitely enjoyed the tension, and cat and mouse game that keeps you guessing throughout the film. 

Freelance feels like it belongs in the early 2000s, but the creative editing, and writing keep us grounded in today’s filmmaking. My only issue is with the almost 2 hour run time, but I think that’s because I just wanted to verify if my theories were correct about who, or what, is behind all the mystery videos. 

This is an exciting independent release from Australia, and will definitely keep people guessing. Give Freelance a chance, especially if you’re into Dark Web focused films. 

Nightmares Film Festival

Club Creepy

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Dooba Dooba

by Brooklyn Ewing

Dooba Dooba feels like something special — like a movie from the 70s or 80s that you borrowed on bootleg VHS from a new kid in your town. 

The movie opens as Amna (Amna Vegha) shows up for a night of babysitting and learns that her ward —a sheltered sixteen year old girl named Monroe (Betsy Sligh) — is being watched at all times by in-home security cameras.

Vegha makes it all work. She brings together the absurdity of Monroe’s parents with the reality of this cringy babysitting job.

There are only four characters in the film and each one makes me feel some type of way. The parents generate equal levels of unease, and their interactions with Amna make me want to run out of the room. Monroe is wildly odd, at one point critiquing Amna’s musical endeavors, making me want to climb out the window because I’m so embarrassed for her. 

Dooba Dooba’s vintage vibes make it deeply creepy. You feel like you’re watching something secretly, and you want to warn Amna that something doesn’t feel right. If you are a fan of The House of The Devil or The Loved Ones, this will pull you right in. I loved the creative cinematography.

Director Ehrland Hollingsworth is new to horror, but I think he has a new home in the horror community, and I cannot wait to see how audiences respond to this movie. I feel like part of a secret club after being able to see Dooba Dooba and I’m ready to talk about it with the world. 

Nightmares Film Festival

Spooky Fun for Halloween

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Carved

by Brooklyn Ewing

Each Halloween season, horror fans go looking for new seasonal movies. This year, director Justin Harding (Making Monsters)brings his fun, spooky splatter-fest, Carved to Nightmares Film Festival and Hulu’s Huluween. 

A group of survivors — including comedy favorites DJ Qualls and Chris Elliott — find themselves trapped in a historical reenactment village on Halloween. There they must unite to battle an evil and vengeful pumpkin. 

This is not your typical killer food movie. Carved delivers inspired kills that almost made me root for the pumpkin. The special fx are a blast and the cinematography is gorgeous. They make this one a do not miss addition to your yearly 31 Day of Halloween watchlist. 

The standout in the cast is newcomer Peyton Elizabeth Lee. I loved the rocky relationship between Lee and Corey Fogelmanis. Lee brings the Halloween final girl baddie to the forefront again, and I couldn’t get enough of it. 

Some of my favorite scenes featured Stranger Things alum Matty Cardarople as a corn truck employee.  And Carved rounds out the fun ensemble with a comedy heavy hitter from the 2000s. DJ Qualls plays the perfect uptight jerk, and has some of the most memorable one liners. He brings the polish and snark to the screen and I couldn’t help but love his character.

If you love killer food movies, autumn ambiance, creative kills, and a delightfully talented cast, then add Carved to your Spooky Season watchlist.