These discoveries are even more fascinating than the big releases in horror.
It’s officially festival season and Dread Central was fortunate enough to attend Fantastic Fest in person. High-profile premieres like The Menu and a secret screening of Hellraiser naturally take up all of the attention. What makes any film festival truly memorable, however, are the surprising discoveries along the way. There’s nothing like walking into a theater and not knowing what you’re going to experience.
The programming at this year’s Fantastic Fest showcased some striking international films, featuring some mind-bending entries from all over the world. The list below highlights a future Oscar contender based on a true story of a serial killer in Iran, a bloody South Korean actioner that feels like a sadistic sister film to Con Air, a French deep dive inside the catacombs, a Spanish thriller that reinvents Firestarter and, lastly, a brilliant documentary about the inherent horrors of The Wizard of Oz.
Holy Spider
Based on the brutal true story of Saeed Hanaei, a serial killer who murdered 16 women prior to his capture in 2001, Holy Spider was probably the discovery of the festival for me. Zar Amir-Ebrahimi won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her reserved, heroic performance as a journalist battling the stifling cultural constructs of the political system in Mashhad, Iran. This story feels like it’s in the same universe as David Fincher’s Mindhunter mixed with the unsettling intimacy of John McNaughton’s Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. With the upheaval currently happening in Iran, Holy Spider couldn’t be more timely.
Project Wolf Hunting
In the most Timo Tjahjanto (May the Devil Take You) movie that Timo Tjahjanto never made, Project Wolf Hunting is a gory super soldier extravaganza that never lets up. Directed by Hong-sun Kim, the batshit storyline has been compared to Con Air on a boat. After witnessing the mayhem myself, there is absolutely no way that Nicolas Cage’s Cameron Poe could ever survive on this ship when the blood really starts flowing. It’s graphic, hilarious, incredibly gross, and unapologetically brutal. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many heads stomped in one movie. Project Wolf Hunting is also a stark reminder to never, ever join the military.
Deep Fear
You’re visiting Paris. Maybe you’ve already checked out the Louvre Museum and basked in the sunset in front of the Sacré Coeur. But what about the Catacombs? Deep Fear follows a couple of kids that run into a group of self-proclaimed “Cata-philes” that hang out and party in the deepest recesses of the Catacomb tombs. Instead of a unique experience they can Instagram about, these teens end up discovering hidden horrors that wind up enrolling them in a frightening history lesson they never signed up for. Deep Fear also chronicles a cool period in the 90s when graffiti artists were making their mark underneath the city streets of Paris. It also has one of the best hip-hop soundtracks in recent memory.
Everyone Will Burn
There may not be a better opening scene this year than the shocking beginning of David Hebrero’s Everyone Will Burn. Macarena Gómez stars as a grieving mother that takes in a strange girl named Lucia who may or may not have supernatural abilities. The second act runs a little on the slow side, but the incredible opening and satisfying finale make it a must-watch. Macarena Gómez gives a positively stunning, unhinged performance. If you’ve seen her remarkable turn in Shrew’s Nest, this is a return to form for one of the best genre actresses in Spain.
Lynch/Oz
The documentary Lynch/Oz is a hypnotic deep dive into David Lynch’s fascination (or obsession) with The Wizard of Oz. Looking at all of his films through the lens of the 1939 classic provides tremendous insight into Lynch’s oeuvre. In addition, it usesthe classic film as a cultural touchstone that explores the iconography of Oz in an entirely new way. As a result, David Lynch and The Wizard of Oz are weirder than ever. It’s one of the best documentaries of the year.
Tags: Fantastic Fest Fantastic Fest 2022
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