I don't know how I end up going to see the short programme that has the horror genre shorts or as close to that genre. I think it's the title. 'Her Dark Materials' is a very enticing title for the programme. But I'm getting at appreciating this genre, plus, I was lucky to have a great audience that were vocal enough so that my stifled yelps wouldn't be heard.
A mixture of a simplistic, quick fire, comedic, experimental and twisted selection of films, some with briliantly gory special effects and imagines that lingered in the mind long after you left the cinema.
Perfectly titled, this selection usually draws in a crowd to match the enthusiasm from the filmmakers. Noticed that the line up included a film school's rather experimental offering, 'Dark Leaves' with imagines of teenage desire, lust that quickly turned to danger and murder. It stood out from the rest with its less than polished style, with unusual camera angles and disturbing soundtrack. The programme started off with a few shorter shorts, such as 'Cubicle' about a woman who overhears some smore than suspicious noises. Under 5 minutes and got quite a reaction from the audience with its close quarters shots and jump scares. 'Retch' was also one hell of a gore fest where a woman violently transforms into some sort of creature right in front of a shocked friend. The special effect and the hair and make up were something to marvel at. 'Changeling' was a disturbing twist on the folklore about creatures swapping babies for changelings, but here we see a new mother plagued by an oozing blackish brown goo that follows her everywhere.
The longer shorts were saved up for later in the programme, such as the rather harrowing but non more important ' White Girl' about said girl who stalks the street looking for rage and anger to be let loose. This included a very graphic and effective scene where a dead body's organ's are removed. The finale, 'Knock at the Door' earned cheers and laughter from the audience and little nod to stranger danger. A suspicious 'neighbourhood watch' representative gets far more than he was looking for when he's invited in by a kind old lady and her adorable dog Buster. Over the top and deadpan keeping you entertained and very much creeped out at the same time. But this is what I've come to expect at a horror genre Underwire programme as well as marvel at the talented filmmkers, some of which joined in for a quick Q & A at the end.
A collection worth keeping and as always, never a disappointment. Here's to the next 10 years of the festivals!