Summer might be drawing to a close and what a dramatic time it’s been. I gave birth during a major heatwave (fun) and saw my first (written produced and starred in) short film get its world premiere at the one and only FrightFest! I just want to say a massive thankyou to the FrightFest boys Greg, Alan, Paul and Ian for accepting the film and making me and my two children so welcome! The bar was raised really high this year so I am genuinely proud Selkie made it through. It was quite a feeling to have top horror directors Paul Hyett (The Seasoning House, Howl) and Adam Green (Hatchet, Frozen) tell me they loved my short film, it’s usually the other way around! Ok I’m done patting my back now – on with the show.
While FrightFest quenches our thirst like a vampire hooked up to a blood bank I hope your horror appetite is still hungry for more because Horror Channel has some truly amazing film premieres and seasons in September so keep your remote control glued to one channel this month – Horror!
This month has a decidedly international flavour with my personal favourites being the Korean hit (and recent Hollywood remake) Oldboy, and original French urban terror Them (Ils). If you’ve not seen these seminal movies that catalyzed all kinds of copycats where the devil have you been?
Sat 20 September @ 22:45 – OLDBOY (2001) *Network Premiere
From the dynamic director of the brilliant Stoker (2013) and Lady Vengeance (2005) comes Chan-wook Park’s earlier film Oldboy (2003) the movie won the grand prize of the jury at Cannes in 2004 and here’s why. Warped, vivid, nightmarish and surreal this movie is packed with both an intelligent screenplay and visceral violence. When Dae-su Oh wakes up after a night on the booze, he finds he’s been kidnapped and imprisoned for no apparent reason. Time ticks excruciatingly away and after an epic 15 years he is released – again for no apparent reason. Adjusting to the real world he determines to discover his captors and find the reason for his torturous experiment. Get ready for live octopus eating torture and insane fight sequences. No idea what the remake is like – let me know!
Sat 27 September @ 22:50 – THE DEAD (2010) *UK TV Premiere
Receiving its world premiere at FrightFest in 2010 The Dead marks the debut horror film from the Ford Brothers, but what a lot of people don’t know is where the fellas started out! Right with me back in 1997 on Pervirella! They were the camera and lighting team back then and they’ve come a long way working on top commercials before hitting the horror scene. You can clearly see their focus on the cinematic and their background in advertising with stunning locations and photography in this refreshing zombie film. Touted as the best zombie flick of 2010 you won’t be disappointed, the zombies here are old skool shuffling about corpses with no hint of humour. This is a bleak and realistic horror shot in the heat of the African wilderness. Part horror part travelogue the film is set in the near future when most of the world has succumbed to a living dead virus. After crashing off the coast of Africa in a plane, Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) battles for survival across inhospitable parched terrain in search of a way to get back to his beloved family in America. Not since Lucio Fulci’s Zombie Flesh Eaters have we seen such a sunny beautiful place offset by darkness and horror. A must for all zombie fans.
Sun 28 September @ 22:50 – THEM (Ils) (2006) *Network Premiere
Eden Lake, The Disappeared, Community, Cherry Tree Lane, Heartless, ‘F’ all these movies come under the umbrella of ‘Hoodie Horror’ which came about circa 2008, a cluster of Brit Grit flicks that depicted the soulless disaffected youth of modern Britain, but just before this in 2006 came a French movie called Them (Ils) which is apparently based on a chilling true story. Set in Bucharest, Romania a French couple staying in their dilapidated mansion come under attack by unseen unknown invaders as a game of cat and mouse ensues between the young couple and their tormentors. Hopeless and horrific with a devastating ending this is a remarkable horror that’s minimal on gore and exceptional on atmosphere.
Sat 13 September @ 22:45 – TWIXT (2011) – *UK TV Premiere
When I say ‘Francis Ford Coppola’ and ‘gothic horror’ I imagine many a mouth out there will begin to quiver with memories of the sensual intoxicating landscape he painted with Bram Stoker’s Dracula. To be honest Twixt is not quite up there with that piece of exceptional cinema but for all fans of the man the movie is still worth watching. Starring Val Kilmer as a horror novelist stuck in a small town for a book signing when it emerges there really is a meaty story for him to get his teeth into involving vampires, dubious reverends, gangs of goths and the ghost of Edgar Allen Poe……dive in folks!
Sat 6 September @ 22:45 – ALTITUDE (2010) *UK TV Premiere
So what would you do if your mum died horribly in a plane accident? Learn to fly and take your 4 teenage friends up in a small plane when you’ve barely got your licence? We’re cruising for some serious bruising here. An interesting genre film mixing Final Destination with Donnie Darko we follow rookie pilot Sara and her teenage friends as they take a small plane up but reach new and terrifying heights when the plane malfunctions and takes them head first into a terrible storm, where things get really weird when they come under attack from a tentacle creature.
URBAN TERROR SEASON – Fridays at 22:50 from 5 September
Yo yo yo listen up bitches cos serious shit is going down Friday nights on Horror with our Urban Terror Season; bring on the hoodies!
Friday 5 September @ 22:50 – F (2010) *Network Premiere
Kicking off this superb gritty season comes ‘F’ from Storage 24’s Johannes Roberts. Starring David Schofield as world weary English teacher who becomes trapped in the dreary corridors of the school one night as a gang of faceless free running thug/creature/kids torment chase and kill teachers and students alike. Creepy what kids will do for kicks.
Fri 26 September @ 22:50 – COMEDOWN (2012) *Network Premiere
So theres Attack the Block, Tower Block and now Comedown which has a photo of a block on the cover! Badass blocks are in fashion yo and this UK grit Brit flick was directed by Kidulthood’s Menhaj Huda. Six friends, who’ve known each other from childhood, break into the tower block they lived in as kids, now deserted and condemned, to rig-up a pirate radio station, get high and party. When one of the group goes missing, her friends begin to search the dark interior of the tower and soon realise that they are not alone: a resident psychopath lurks in the shadows and is hunting them down! Also on offer in this season is dirty drug dealing in Community on Friday 12th and home invasion horror Cherry Tree Lane on Friday 19th. Lock your doors!
