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On this page: DO YOU WANT TO PLAY? | DRACULA: THE NIGHT AROUND US | HY3NA

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 20.Sep.26

Do You Want to Play?
Review by Rich Cline | 3/5

dir-scr Nick Lyon
prd Glenn Kendrick Ackermann, David Marsh, Nick Lyon
with Quinn Aune, Maxwell Mushallo, Leo Larson, Ricco Ross, Atlas Von Poncet, Brian Scarlett, William Sibley, Aspen K Somers, Rachael Murphy, G Anthony Joseph, Weston Oliver, Lorin McCraley
release UK Aug.26 frf
26/US 1h34

Is it streaming?

There's an oddly over-serious tone to this teen horror romp, which quickly establishes the premise and characters with melodrama rather than engaging detail. Writer-director Nick Lyon also deploys grisly imagery early on, then follows a hideously masked supernatural villain as he terrorises a group of teens who are blithely playing around with the occult. So even if it never feels very original, there's some fun to be had.

On Halloween, high school students are introduced to an old-time D3mon Board, recreated as an app by classmate Owen (Mushallo). At a costume party, Emily (Aune) and her boyfriend Tommy (Larson) are dubious about it, but play along. And of course something freaky happens. Soon, the app begins to download itself to take over other teens' phones. It also gets into their heads when they start violently dying one-by-one. Their teacher (Von Poncet) worries about anomalies in Owen's AI, insisting that he shut down the app. But the situation has clearly progressed beyond that point.

A 1970-set prolog introduces a murderous demon possessing an abused young boy (Oliver), and now Owen holds his app launch party in that same house. Almost every scene sets up some sort of menacing nastiness, with ghostly monsters lurking and pouncing. But it's difficult to escape the fact that there's not much else going on here, so even the most unsettling moments feel strangely disconnected. And the narrative feels rather predictable, including a cool-dude priest (Ross) who takes on the spirits.

Aune is likeable as the vulnerable teen who has stopped taking her meds and begins having horrific visions. So of course everyone assumes it's just another mental episode. We know better. Larson and Mushallo are believable as stubborn teens far in over their heads as they try to save Emily. Veteran actor Ross has a superbly strong presence as he takes on the double-whammy demons played with sneering glee by Sibley and Somers under layers of prosthetics.

Aside from the grotesque makeup, the special effects are thankfully understated, with objects that move on their own, doors that squeak open and a sound mix overloaded with loud noises and sinister music. And of course the Halloween setting means that every room is decorated appropriately. All of this is bonkers enough to hold the attention right to the impressively insane climax, but even a bit more earthiness might have made it involving too.

themes, language, violence 30.Aug.26

Dracula: The Night Around Us
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir-scr Chris Schwab
prd Marlene Mc'Cohen, Chris Schwab, Metin Yigit
with Eric Toms, Marlene Mc'Cohen, Spencer Weitzel, Raelan Mackiewicz, Brent Jones, Andrea Martina, Michael King, Gabriel Grier, Isabela Penagos, Ginny You, Thomas Hwan Kim, Harmony Smith
release UK Aug.26 frf
26/US 1h10

Is it streaming?

Loosely based on the Bram Stoker novel, this low-budget freakout uses minimal dialog and lots of murkiness to keep the audience on edge. Writer-director Chris Schwab has a lot of fun with both jolting jump cuts and yucky closeups, making the most of the superbly grainy film stock. Offhanded humour adds a superbly engaging tone to what is otherwise a rather wacky gothic nightmare with heavy emotional overtones.

Working in a present-day mental hospital, Doctor John (Toms) is unnerved by Renfield (Weitzel), a patient with a predilection for insects and blood. So he is happy for the distraction when cute new neighbour Mina (Mc'Cohen) invites him over for dinner with her sparky young daughter Lucy (Mackiewicz), who has a very dangerous habit of sleepwalking. Meanwhile, a snarling, fanged monster (Jones) is preying on people across the city, and he has a particular interest in Lucy, who responds to his calls. Then when she comes under attack, it's John who has to take action.

Throughout the film, transgressive behaviour hints that something gruesome will happen, from a man leering at a hitchhiker to a couple making out in an alleyway. So each set-piece is like a miniature tale of the macabre. Is it real or a dream? Jones' Dracula is seriously unnerving, with glowing eyes, crinkly skin and talons for fingers. So a flickering tongue is as scary as a bite. And when John looks for answers in the sewers, things get very dark indeed.

Performances are heightened to maintain a sinister tone. As John, Toms has the everyman role, a normal guy struggling to understand a crazy situation. He is as baffled by Weitzel's maniacally camp Renfield as by Mc'Cohen's religiously devout Mina or Mackiewicz's brightly mischievous Lucy. Clearly, a pint of red wine is the answer. Toms also has the biggest emotional scenes, and his likability pulls us into the increasingly bonkers events that unfold.

We are so familiar with the bones of this story that nothing really surprises us. Most of the violence is off camera or created with clever editing, although there's a big payoff for gore fans. Instead, it's the movie's distinctive visuals and hypnotic tone that keep us watching. Schwab makes up for the bare-bone sets by deploying depth of focus, eerie colours, a spooky sound mix and quirky lighting, plus eye-catching outdoor settings and simple but cool visual effects. So the horrific atmosphere is enjoyably chilling.

themes, language,violence, 24.Aug.26

Hyena aka: Hy3na
Review by Rich Cline | 2/5

dir Matthew Ninaber
scr Jannah Kitzman, Matthew Ninaber
prd Jacqueline Ninaber, Jeremy Ninaber, Michael James Regan
with Storm Steenson, Kristen Kaster, Jeremy Ninaber, Matthew Ninaber, Jordan Policicchio, Ardavan Taraporewala, Johanna Vandenberg, Jacqueline Ninaber, Ethan Mitchell, Isaiah Degazon, Gabriel Carrer, Jonah Fortin
release UK Aug.26 frf
26/Canada 1h24

Is it streaming?

Opening with a barrage of violent craziness, this lurid thriller then cuts back three weeks to recount the story of a wildly unhinged serial killer. With a quick pace, director-cowriter Matthew Ninaber indulges in outrageous gore while infusing everything with snarky broad humour. So it's a bit frustrating that the plot feels so oddly thin, with fragmented strands and too many slinky montage sequences. Plus the obvious twist.

After investigating eight murders in six months, detectives Hugh and Dan (Jeremy and Matthew Ninabar) suddenly have the chief suspect Nicole (Kaster) in custody after a nasty car crash. But it turns out that Dan once had a fling with Nicole, so Hugh must do the interrogation. She blames everything on her wild sex worker roommate Rachel (Steenson), whom she only just discovered was a serial killer. She insists it was Rachel who led her into becoming a webcam performer, then pushed her to take risks. The question is whether she knew people were dying.

Jumping around in time and between points of view, the movie struggles to build narrative momentum. Scenes flicker back to the night Nicole met Rachel who, after she beat up an overly amorous man in a bar, invited her to move in. Their evolving friendship is increasingly fraught with sex, drugs and violence, although Nicole remains unaware that people are dying. Not strictly a serial killer, Rachel is simply a psychopath with no control of her instincts, happy to brutally murder anyone who offends her.

It's difficult to get a grip on any of these characters, as they are all very sketchily drawn in the fuzzy reality. The actors all look great, but their personalities and connections seem random, guided by the demands of the script. At the centre, Kaster has a strong presence, but immediately seems unreliable as she recounts her side of the story. Steenson has a lot more fun chomping on the scenery as the seductive, confident Rachel.

At its badly blurred core, this is a very bleak story about abusive behaviour, trauma and cruelty, sexed-up as a deranged fantasy with rich-hued lighting and cool settings. Although for all of the lusty action, the film is actually rather timid about sex. On the other hand, it never shies away from the most ghastly bloodshed, so genre fans may enjoy the bonkers grisliness.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 278.Aug.26

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL