No Rest For The Wicked - Fantasia International Film Festival

 

courtesy of Fantasia IFF

Set in the 19th Century on the Faroe Islands, fisherman Baldur lives with his widowed mother amongst their small god fearing community. When Danish sailor Helge ends up on the islands, the two men share more than an attraction for one another. But when tragedy strikes, a darker side to their passion takes hold, one of blood, death and possession.

Full review over at Filmhounds. 

Corpus - Fantasia International Film Festival

Courtesy of Yellow Veil

 

Photographer and drug dealer Sayo is invited to a ‘party’ upstate by his longtime crush and friend Vince, a star on the rise. Whisked away from the busy haze of the city, the boys along with another friend Ross find that the party isn’t exactly what they had in mind. Hosted by three mysterious women who slowly reveal their disturbing agenda, drawing the boys in until its too late for any escape.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Vampire's Kiss

 

Courtesy of Transmission/Radiance Films

Peter Loew, an arrogant self absorbed literary agent yuppie doesn't have much going on in his life except one night stands, terrorising his colleagues and keeping to his weekly therapist appointments. One night he brings home the mysterious Rachel who makes it a night to remember. Peter’s life from then on takes stranger and darker turns as he descends into near madness believing he has been turned into a vampire.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Pools

Courtesy of KLA Media Group 

 On the verge of being kicked out of college, Kennedy decides that putting her head down and getting on with school work is not what she needs. Gathering together a group of random acquaintances also stuck at college over the long hot summer, she leads the group to go nighttime pool hopping throughout the lavish estates in her college town. But as she is still grieving the recent loss of her father, this spontaneous adventure becomes more of a journey of self discovery.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Broken Beak - Raindance

Courtesy of Raindance

Folktales are prime subjects for horror films across the globe. Every country has stories from the past that could be used to paint an image of the present. Myths and monsters are perfect to scare and set an uneasy atmosphere, even more so if these creatures take hold of someone in reality. Broken Beak easily sets the stage for something bizarre and deeply disturbing. Though the cinematography in most places is visually compelling, and the central performance from Briar Rose is commendable, Broken Beak isn’t quite the folktale inspired horror film you expect it to be.

Full review over at Filmhounds

The Dark Crystal

Courtesy of Anime Limited & Radial Entertainment

 

Straight from the mind of puppet pioneer and filmmaker Jim Henson, The Dark Crystal was a story conceived by him, produced and eventually co-directed by him alongside Frank Oz. Everyone remembers Labyrinth (how could they not?) which came out in 1986, but everyone talks about or remembers The Dark Crystal. Though the puppets are equally as fantastical, there were no human characters, or epic soundtrack, this was pure fantasy. From the world building, the design, the characters that inhabited this world in an age of wonder, this was fantasy at its most whimsical, enchanting and darkest. The world of The Dark Crystal earned its cult status and a short lived new lease of life when Netflix released a prequel series, The Age of Resistance, which received decent reviews and audience but not enough to get another season sadly. But The Dark Crystal still remains one of the highest grossing puppet films of all time and will forever be engrained in the minds of millennials as ‘that childhood’ movie that probably gave them nightmares. It's exciting to see the film receive a brand new 4K release, with a whole host of new features for longtime fans of the film to delve into.

Full review over at Filmhounds.