The 2024 Nightmares Film Festival — the Cannes of genre fests — is in the books! One highlight from the fest was their panel discussion concerning independent film distribution. Hope joins filmmaker Joe Swanberg, marketer Cicely Enriques and Phil Garrett from Cranked Up/Good Deed Entertainment.
by Matt Weiner
A standout cast with grounded performances alongside a soufflé of light but surmountable tension—all the ingredients are there for a breezy, comforting hit.
And Allswell in New York has its moments. The film shines as an ensemble piece with its three leads: sisters Ida (a sparkling and newly Emmy-winning Liza Colón-Zayas) and Daisy (Elizabeth Rodriguez, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Ben Snyder), and their sister-in-law Serene (Daphne Rubin-Vega).
Allswell follows the three Nuyorican women and the ups and downs of midlife in New York. Daisy is welcoming a surrogate into her life, a young woman throwing out so many red flags that it feels almost offensive to Daisy’s intelligence when she is shocked by an inevitable twist.
Serene’s daughter Constance (Shyrley Rodriguez) is worrying her mother sick with a shady “modeling” career. And nurse Ida has trouble at work trying to help her good friend and coworker stay out of trouble for stealing rapid STD tests to help the poor. (This sets up a recurring theme where Ida’s main conflict is that she is just too much of a saint. It’s a thankless role compared to what the other women go through, but then that’s why you get Colón-Zayas to make it exciting and give the character more depth than her struggle suggests.)
When Serene’s long-absent husband, Desmond (Felix Solis)—and Ida and and Daisy’s brother—shows up at Ida’s clinic looking deeply unwell, the family’s tensions and long-simmering grudges come to a head.
If it all sounds soapy, much of it is. Which wouldn’t be a problem, except it ends up being at odds with both the affecting naturalistic turns from the leading women and, perhaps even more intractable, a tight runtime that leaves no room to explore the less stock sides of these women.
One striking example is the titular Allswell, a restaurant co-owned by Daisy that serves as a central meeting place. There’s an entire subplot with a barely used Bobby Cannavale that could’ve been its own movie. But the same goes for most of whatever glimpses we get of the peripheries of these women’s lives.
Rodriguez, Colón-Zayas and Rubin-Vega all invest so much in these women, and it’s a credit to their performances that we can fill in so much of their lives when the story itself doesn’t seem to want to spend any more time with them than is necessary for exposition. It’s not that the time spent at Allswell is unpleasant. But it does leave you wishing you could’ve ordered just a little bit more.
by Brandon Thomas
We joke that the Australian Outback is full of animals that want to kill us. From coast to coast, freshwater and saltwater crocodiles, wild dogs, and poisonous snakes and spiders are found. And that’s not even counting the massive Great White Sharks in the waters off Australia’s beaches. But what about the kangaroo? Sure, they’re abnormally buff and can kick like a gymnast on speed, but their reputation – while not entirely cuddly – isn’t aligned with Australia’s “toothier” residents.
But what if it was a zombie kangaroo?
I’m listening.
Small town sheriff Maddy (Tess Haubrich) lives in the shadow of her former law enforcement father. Still reeling from her father’s death when she was a child, Maddy strives to be the kind of strong sheriff he was. When several residents turn up ripped to pieces, Maddy’s eccentric uncle Schmitty (Michael Biehn of Aliens and The Terminator) blames a massive kangaroo. While initially hesitant to believe her uncle’s wild story, Maddy begins to suspect something sinister is stalking the outback as more bodies pile up.
Rippy throws a lot at the audience and not everything sticks. There’s a notable attempt at character development that’s given its all by a game cast, but unfortunately, these long monologue-y scenes stop the film dead. Not to say this kind of character work can’t succeed in a creature feature (see Jaws), but the writing and structure of Rippy make these scenes feel out of place and clunky. Still, it’s nice to see Biehn play a character that isn’t the alpha hero, and one that also gets to serve as the comic relief throughout the film.
Director Ryan Coonan has some exciting ideas for the kangaroo carnage, but the limitations of the creature f/x work end up sucking the life out of these sequences. The exploitation genesis of a project like Rippy feels ripe for gooey, tactile practical effects that are much more forgiving on a limited budget. Understandably, Coonan would go digital for the film’s more ambitious shots, but the overuse of the poorly rendered CGI kangaroo rids the creature of a lot of its menace.
Disappointing effects work aside, Rippy still gets points for putting a zombie kangaroo on screen. Coonan ends the film with some pretty big hints about where a potential sequel might go. With a few more dollars thrown his way for more impressive creature work, a sequel to Rippy might just jump high enough to get my attention.
by Hope Madden
The Seventies were wild, weren’t they? No seatbelts, ashtrays at McDonald’s, gameshows fixed unsuspecting women up with wanted criminals. Plus, shag carpet!
Anna Kendrick makes her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour, which revisits a popular 70s gameshow and its seriously suspect casting direction. Cheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick), a struggling actor waiting for a break, agrees to appear on The Dating Game.
This was a real show where a woman would ask mortifyingly innuendo-riddled questions (supplied by the producers) to three male contestants hidden behind a screen. Each contestant would respond with their own innuendo, and at the end of the episode, the woman would choose a date. The show would then send her away with a man she didn’t know at all.
And if that doesn’t sound dangerous enough, on one episode, Contestant #3 was honest to God serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto).
Though Kendrick’s Cheryl is the titular “Woman of the Hour”, her instinct as a filmmaker is to share the spotlight with a number of other women—witness, survivor, victims. The choice, which presumably began with Ian McDonald’s compelling script, is in keeping with a long-overdue move toward deflating the mysterious air often given to serial killers, instead respecting the perspectives of the people who should still be alive to tell their own tales.
It’s a powerful choice that keeps the film from feeling lurid while creating emotional connection that amps up tensions.
Cheryl’s backstory lets us see how even this smart woman caves to the need to be polite, and how that instinct is manipulated by individual men, but also (and more catastrophically) by the systems that support society. The conflict fuels Kendrick’s every smile, every glance, every expression. It’s a subtle but authentic performance.
Zovatto takes on a D’Onofrio-esque presence as the charming psychopath. He’s at his best in the character’s quietly sinister moments, nuanced shifts in his interior playing with quiet menace across his face.
A tight and emotionally honest supporting cast and a handful of excruciatingly tense moments keep the thriller gripping whether you know its outcome or not. Woman of the Hour takes on a story that could easily have been exploitation, delivering instead a thrilling, reverent, angry witness.
by George Wolf
Did you know that swag bags at the G7 Summit come with a free copy of Incumbent Life magazine?
That’s just one example of the winking comedy at work in Rumours, which finds Guy Maddin teaming with brothers Evan and Galen Johnson to pen a well-developed satire about the “burden of leadership.”
At this latest Summit, the leaders of Germany (Cate Blacchett), the U.S. (Charles Dance), Canada (Roy Dupuis), Italy (Rolondo Ravello), Great Britain (Nikki Amuka-Bird), France (Denis Ménochet) and Japan (Takehiro Hira) all agree they need to draft a cohesive statement on an unnamed world crisis.
Actually doing it becomes more of a challenge, one that gets even harder when they all find themselves lost in the woods around the German compound. With no servants in sight, the Heads of State grow fearful of Bog Zombies, are perplexed by the oversized brain they come across, and incredulous when the missing President of the European Commission (Alicia Vikander) suddenly reappears.
That’s a busy night.
Evan Johnson directs, putting understandable confidence in these wonderful actors to craft distinct personalities while grounding the comedy with the bone dry delivery required to wring the last ounce of wry mischief from every line. The target is more than just fiddling while the world burns, it’s aimed at those who congratulate themselves just for agreeing that the temperature has changed.
This is high concept satire, for sure, but Johnston doesn’t front load the fun. The steady pace has room for surprises throughout, with enough relatable truth to smooth out the overly goofy spots.
And for those who thought Don’t Look Up was just too obvious and on-the-nose, Rumours may be the perfect blend of comedy and world’s end commentary. It’s quieter, more polite, but still able to wield absurdity as a potent spotlight on the pathetic.
And just look at that big brain near Blanchett!
Brides are terrifying. That is a simple fact. It’s just one of the reasons that weddings are so ripe for horror’s picking: emotions are high, the promise of a lovely future creates ironic tension, a lot of people are confined (and often drunk). And do you really know who you’re binding yourself to for the rest of your life? We invite you to the best in wedding day horror.
5. [Rec] 3: Genesis (2012)
Paco Plaza’s third [REC] installment takes place simultaneously with his original found footage classic but picks up on the religious elements of the first sequel.
It’s wedding day for Clara (Leticia Dolera, badass) and Koldo (Diego Martín), but one guest was bitten by a dog and that is not going to bode well for the many, many guests at the reception. The confined chaos is all viscera and glory, perfectly staged and executed. There’s a lack of cynicism in this film that suits it and makes the finale more touching than what you might expect.
4. Ready or Not (2019)
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Scream, Scream IV, Abigail) invite you to join one happy couple as they plunge into a world where the wealthiest among us would rather commit murder than do without what none of them worked very hard to earn. The inky black comedy plays like a game of Clue gone mad with arterial spray.
Samara Weaving is reliably badass, her central performance elevated by the sometimes inspired work of the ensemble. Andie MacDowell, in particular, seems to be enjoying herself immensely. It’s fun, it’s funny, and it’s a bloody mess.
3. The Lure (2015)
Who’s up for Polish vampire mermaids? Gold (Michalina Olszanska) and Silver (Marta Mazurek) are not your typical movie mermaids, and director Agnieszka Smoczynska’s feature debut The Lure is not your typical – well, anything. The musical fable offers a vivid mix of fairy tale, socio-political commentary, whimsy and throat tearing.
Underneath everything, this is The Little Mermaid, leading to the big wedding. Expect lurid side turns, fetishistic explorations, dissonant musical numbers and a host of other vaguely defined sea creatures to color the fable.
2. Freaks (1932)
Short and sweet, like most of its performers, Tod Browning’s controversial film Freaks is one of those movies you will never forget. Populated almost entirely by unusual actors – amputees, the physically deformed, and an honest to god set of conjoined twins (Daisy and Violet Hilton) – Freaks makes you wonder whether you should be watching it at all. This, of course, is an underlying tension in most horror films, but with Freaks, it’s right up front. Is what Browning does with the film empathetic or exploitative, or both? And, of course, am I a bad person for watching this film?
Well, that’s not for us to say. We suspect you may be a bad person, perhaps even a serial killer. Or maybe that’s Hope. What we can tell you for sure is that this film is unsettling, and the final, rainy act of vengeance after a wedding ceremony gone wrong is truly creepy to watch.
1. Demon (2015)
The British Piotr travels to his Polish fiance’s old family vacation home for a proper Catholic wedding. There he attempts to maneuver a new language, impress reluctant in-laws, and grasp wife-to-be Zaneta’s (Agnieszka Zulewska) heritage. Though Zaneta’s family is reluctant to embrace him, a wandering spirit is happy to.
Director/co-writer Marcin Wrona’s final feature (he ended his life at a festival where the film was playing) offers a spooky, atmospheric rumination on cultural loss. Like the mournful soul that clings to poor bridegroom Piotr (Itay Tiran), Demon sticks to you.
by George Wolf
Is this a faux documentary? A true crime thriller? Found footage horror? It’s all of that, at least some of the time.
You know what, just don’t worry about it and enjoy the clever way Hunting Matthew Nichols tips its hat to a variety of genre influences.
Director and co-writer Markian Tarasiuk plays himself as a documentary filmmaker out to solve an over-two-decades-old missing persons case. Canadian teens Matthew and Jordan went missing on Halloween night of 2001, and now Matthew’s sister Tara (Tara Nichols) is teaming with Markian to get to the bottom of what really happened.
Early on, we come along on an engaging hunt for clues. A succession of solid supporting performances bring welcome authenticity to Tara’s fact-finding interviews, until a surprise discovery turns the film on its found footage ear.
The missing kids were big fans of the Blair Witch Project, and took a camcorder into Black Bear Forest to uncover the local legend of Roy McKenzie. This turns out to be a slyly organic way of acknowledging the big comparisons that will follow, and to setup the type of in-your-face finale that more than a few BWP naysayers may have preferred.
The ride is well-paced and impressively assembled, and the payoff is satisfying enough to make you forget about who’s manning the camera or why we’re watching reactions to a shocking videotape instead of the tape itself.
But this Hunt is a fun one, and it comes complete with a mid-credits stinger that flirts with the possibility of another chapter.
If so, count me in.
by Adam Barney
I’m a sucker for Faustian bargain films, so I knew I was likely in the bag for writer/director Benjamin Wong’s debut feature film, BA. I wasn’t expecting a movie that would also be so touching and endearing.
What would you do to ensure a good life for your child? That is the question facing Daniel (Lawrence Kao, Walker: Independence), a single dad struggling to raise his daughter, Collette (Kai Cech). Daniel tries to hustle with side gigs and other menial jobs, but the pair faces eviction and family doesn’t seem willing to take them in. This is where the Faustian deal comes into play. Daniel finds a bag of money with a simple note – take the money and you will receive an eternal occupation.
That turns out to be a heavy price. Daniel is transformed into a reaper and must take souls for his end of the bargain. He was also unfortunately transformed, now burdened with a skull for a face and the power to kill anything and everything he touches. Collette doesn’t understand why her dad suddenly hides from her and keeps his distance. To make matters worse, social services are coming around to investigate. Money really doesn’t solve everything.
BA may not be an original tale. However, the film truly excels at delivering a heart-breaking and ultimately human story. Kao and Cech have excellent chemistry, which really drives us to root for them.
BA thoughtfully deals with the Asian American experience of existing on the fringe of society. As it opens, Daniel is one of many unseen workers taking unwanted night jobs and any other work that he can find. After his transformation, he must remain unseen so he can continue to provide for and protect Collette. In interviews, Wong has discussed wanting to blur reality and fantasy in his film but still deal with the real issues of single parenthood, social invisibility, and poverty.
BA also happens to look fantastic. The nightlife of Los Angeles pops, the dark alleys and basements are dreary, and the supernatural elements seamlessly fit right in. If you like a good devil’s tale, you will find a lot to love in BA.
by Adam Barney
I hope this isn’t viewed as a cop out, but it is hard to explain My Imaginary Life for Someone. It must be experienced. It’s a film that is clearly not for everyone. For those who can match its wavelength, they will find a lot to like. Everyone else will walk out and be perplexed by what they just witnessed. This is precisely the type of film that we are always searching for to showcase in our Midnight programming branch of Nightmares Film Festival.
My Imaginary Life for Someone takes aim at Real Housewives or any of the other similar reality shows and does its best to take down the whole genre and the people in front of the cameras. It’s clear that writers / directors Molly Wurwand and Ryan McGlade have a real disdain for reality television and if you are of the same mindset, you are going to enjoy this broadside assault.
Filmed in a mockumentary style, the film dumps you right into a “labyrinth” of Los Angeles McMansions where the denizens get stranger and stranger. The reality stars are living in excess but probably aren’t fully sure how they got to where they are in life. They have nothing to worry about financially, but they also aren’t sure what they should be doing with their lives, so they spend their time collecting Princess Diana memorabilia, getting extreme plastic surgery, or listening to their own voices on tape.
There’s a lot of dream-like logic at play as the various homeowners show you around, tell you odd stories, or otherwise fill the silence of the void by endlessly talking. If you have ever caught the late-night programming of Adult Swim on Cartoon Network, you will quickly adapt to the vibe. It feels like a dry mix of Christopher Guest (Best in Show) and Jim Hosking (The Greasy Strangler, although this film is not gross).
My Imaginary Life for Someone will make you cringe, hate the characters, and wish for it to be over. And that is the whole point. It wants to show you that reality television is vapid, vacuous, and ultimately pointless and it does so by holding up a mirror to the genre.
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.
